Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Protoliterate Tablet
(Ancient Near East )
From a unique group of early documents recording the transfer of land (in this case one "bur'u," which is around 157 acres), this tablet illustrates the transition from a writing system based on pictures to one where signs represent sounds. The vase and foot are easily recognized but represent sounds rather than objects. In the bottom row, the two wavy lines sprouting plants is the sign for garden.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Henry Walters, Baltimore, by 1909 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Sadie Jones (Mrs. Henry Walters), New York, 1931, by inheritance; Joseph Brummer, Paris and New York, 1941, by purchase [Brummer inv. no. N5009]; Walters Art Museum, 1941, by purchase.
Exhibitions
| 1998-2001 | Highlights from the Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1978 | In Search of Ancient Treasure: 40 Years of Collecting. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Mesopotamia (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 2 5/8 x W: 2 5/8 x 7/8 in. (6.6 x 6.6 x 2.3 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase [formerly part of the Walters Collection], 1941
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
41.219