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Tablets

Clay proto-cuneiform tablet with early pictographic writing, end of the 4th millennium B.C.

Clay proto-cuneiform tablet with early pictographic writing, end of the 4th millennium B.C.

© British Museum
Clay cuneiform tablet still partly in its envelope, beginning of the 2nd millennium B.C.

Clay cuneiform tablet still partly in its envelope, beginning of the 2nd millennium B.C.

© Musée du Louvre

Notice

Material
Clay | Stone
Type
Documents
Details
Clay or stone tablets with cuneiform writing. Most common are pillow-shaped clay tablets (one side rounded, the other side flat), square or rectangular, sometimes round. They typically range from 4 x 5 cm to 20 x 30 cm in size. They sometimes have a casing (often fragmentary), sealed. They are usually sun-dried and must be handled with extreme care. If not stored under controlled humidity, they may disintegrate (optimum relative humidity: 45-50%). For identification, they should be photographed under raking light coming from the upper left.
Red List
Emergency Red List of Iraqi Antiquities at Risk
Countries
Iraq
Period
Pre-Islamic