Ancient Near East, Sumeria, ca. 3rd to 2nd millennium BCE. A cone shaped clay tablet with incised cuneiform around its body. The top of the tablet has a flat "nail head" below which the body tapers to a rounded point. Made of white clay with hints of red, the inscription is deep, dense, and clear. Clay nails like this are also referred to as dedication pegs or foundation pegs; they were inscribed, baked, and stuck into walls made of mud-brick to mark ownership either by a god or a ruler. These dedications sometimes include stories or boasts about the rulers they describe, and are some of our earliest sources of written royal history. Size: 2.45" W x 5.2" H (6.2 cm x 13.2 cm)

Provenance: Ex - Prominent LA County collector who acquired these prior to 2000

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#118170

Intact; some wear to inscription as shown but generally readable.