An Old Babylonian cream clay cuneiform cone. The head is typically mushroom-shaped, the body inscribed with eight vertical lines of cuneiform script.
Date: Circa 1900-1600 BC. Period: Old babylonian Condition: Fine condition; one longer but stable vertical crack; edges around the top a little uneven.
Cuneiform cones, or nails, were inscribed with cuneiform and buried under the foundations, or built into the walls, of important public buildings and temples during construction to sanctify the site and to create a historical memory of the ruler and his achievements. Hidden from view, these inscribed objects were meant to be found during later restorations, an important consideration in a land of floods and wars, when such builings were constructed of simple baked clay.
