Mesopotamian Inventions: Did you mean...?

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 carved grey stone has an integral handle. It was possibly a weight. There are eight compartments decorated with the shapes of eyes and rosettes. The handle imitates basketry and is ornamented with lozenges in relief. The stone might...

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...

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

The antelopes of this amulet were joined at their hindquarters. This gold jewellery was found (together with fish amulets) on Puabi's arm inside her grave. Early Dynastic Period, circa 2600 BCE. From the Royal Cemetery at Ur, Southern Mesopotamia...

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...

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

This is the upper surface of the earring . The right lower circle is broken and at the center of the trifoliate group lies a single golden sphere. The cuneiform text is read vertically, from the upper surface downwards on each segment, and...

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...

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.