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THBTranslated Neo-Sumerian Clay Foundation Cones (pr)
Lot 80b
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$1,500 - $2,000
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Mar 24, 2022
Set Reminder
2022-03-24 10:00:00
2022-03-24 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities Ethnographic Fine Art
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-ethnographic-fine-art-9057
Museum-worthy examples of classical antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Viking, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine / Visual Arts, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Museum-worthy examples of classical antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Viking, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine / Visual Arts, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (416)
- Lot Description
Ancient Near East, Mesopotamia, Sumer, city of Lagash, Neo-Sumerian period, reign of Gudea of Lagash, ca. 2144 to 2124 BCE. A wonderful set of two hand-built clay foundation cones with conical bodies and discoid heads. The body of each cone bears 12 columns of cuneiform text inscribed using a sharpened reed or stick just before being placed inside of a kiln. Clay nails like this are also referred to as dedication pegs or funerary pegs; they were inscribed, baked, and stuck into walls made of mudbrick 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. When translated this cone reads, "For Ningirsu, the mighty warrior of Enlil, Gudea, governor of Lagash, who built the Eninnu (temple) of Ningirsu, (also) built his Epa, the temple of seven sectors." Size of largest: 4.75" L x 2.2" W (12.1 cm x 5.6 cm)
Cuneiform script is one of the oldest known writing systems in the world, made using a reed as a stylus and scratching wedge-shaped marks onto clay tablets. Early cuneiform was pictographic, but in the 3rd millennium BCE it shifted to the more abstract form you see here. These cuneiform objects are some of the roughly 2 million known from this culture; of these, between 30,000 and 100,000 have been translated. The earliest translations came in 1836 from the work of French scholar Eugene Burnouf and, by the 1850's, multiple scholars were able to produce similar translations, meaning the language had been deciphered.
Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#138549Both pieces have chips and losses to peripheries of discoid heads as shown, with minor abrasions, light encrustations, and softening to some cuneiform characters. Nice earthen deposits throughout. Most cuneiform characters are still relatively legible.Condition
- Shipping Info
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