Mesopotamian Inventions: Did you mean...?

Perforated votive plaque with a banquet scene, Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq, c. 2700-2600 BCE. Louvre, Paris.

This is a pair of gold boat-shaped earrings, worn by one of Queen Puabi's attendants and was found inside Puabi's grave. Early Dynastic Period, circa 2600 BCE. From the Royal Cemetery at Ur, Southern Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. Part of...

Both earrings are placed in a mirror-image position, with the lower surfaces facing each other. Each earring is composed of nine lunar-shaped segments forming a flattened half- ball. The cuneiform signs run vertically from above downward...

Copper alloy hoe blade with socket, from Ur, Early Dynastic III, 2600-2300 BCE. The British Museum, London.

These weights are in the range of 8.7 to 24.7 grams, roughly between 1 and 3 Babylonian shekels. Weights had been made in this characteristic duck-shape since around 2000 BCE. From Southern Mesopotamia, Iraq. Circa 700-500 BCE. (The British...

This clay tablet was illegally excavated. The precise provenance of the excavation is unknown, but probably from Southern Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. It is currently housed in the Sulaymaniyah Museum, Iraqi Kurdistan.

This clay tablet was illegally excavated. The precise provenance of the excavation is unknown, but probably from Southern Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. It is currently housed in the Sulaymaniyah Museum, Iraqi Kurdistan.

This clay tablet was illegally excavated. The precise provenance of the excavation is unknown, but probably from Southern Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. It is currently housed in the Sulaymaniyah Museum, Iraqi Kurdistan.

Stone inscribed with an incantation that has 7 signs, repeated 7 times. It is much worn through use. From Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq, c. 800-550 BCE. The British Museum, London.

This luxurious marble cosmetic container has an inscriptions marking it as the property of Marduk, god of Babylon. From Sippar, Southern Mesopotamia, Iraq. Circa 625-550 BCE. (The British Museum, London)