Interactive Ancient History

 Cuneiform Cone or nails were used in ancient Mesopotamia around 2000 BC as a dedicatory text when a monarch built or rebuilt a major building and dedicated it to the city deity. This nail has a clear inscription written by the scribe of Gudea, who ruled ancient Legash one of the biggest cities in the known world at the time. Every character of the cuneiform script can be read and this item comes with a translation sheet that you can use to work your way through translating the text. A great exercise in ancient textual analysis! 130mm tall.

$39.95AUD plus P&H QUOTE GUDEACONE1

Cuneiform Tablet - Ur III Period

A small cuneiform tablet recording numbers of Ewes.
50x40x20mm clearly readable text.

$19.95AUD plus P&H QUOTE TABUR3

A replica of a multi lingual Assyrian inventory tablet inscribed in late Neo-Assyrian Cuneiform and stamped with an Aramaic docket impression identifying the contents.

To facilitate the administrative tasks of the Assyrian Empire the use of Aramaic was sanctioned because the Aramaic language was far better known in distant parts of the empire than Akkadian and was the lingua franca of the merchants who traveled the highways.

The rest of the text is Akkadian Cuneiform, written on both sides of this large tablet.

c800BC

140 x 95 x 20mm gypsum cast.

$49.95AUD plus P&H QUOTE NASSYTT1

 Assyrian Diplomatic Tablet

A replica of an Assyrian Diplomatic letter from an Assyrian trading Post, which was dispatched to the Phoenician city of Tyre, then part of the Assyrian Empire. The tablet bears the indentations of two worn seal impressions which provided authentication and the signature seal of the author.

The archaic cuneiform script was adopted by the Akkadians around 2500 BC and by 2000BC had evolved into Old Assyrian Cuneiform, with many modifications to Sumerian orthography. When cuneiform was first adapted to Akkadian, the Semitic equivalents for many signs became distorted or abbreviated to form "phonetic" values, because the syllabic script of the Sumerians was unintuitive to the invading Semitic speakers. The former Sumerian pictograms were reduced to a high level of abstraction and composed only of five basic wedge shapes: horizontal, vertical, twp diagonals and the "winkelhaken" impressed by the tip of the stylus.

$49.95AUD plus P&H QUOTE ASSYDIP1

A circular disc shaped tablet inscribed with cuneiform text on the front, segmented into 12 segments around the rim. The people of Mesopotamia used primarily a numbering system based on 60s rather than the decimal system based in 10s that we are used to today. It is this 6o based system that today gives us our 60 minutes to the hour that we use for time and the 360 degrees that we use in circular and compass measurements. This disc is segmented into such as system but also has a triangle insignia at the top that marks the north wind, as in ancient Mesopotamia they didn't use magnetic north as we do today, but instead documented according to the four winds.

The reverse of the tablet has a map inscribed upon it marking out what is essentially the Assyrian Empire around the time of Ashurbanipal c640BC. It was Ashurbanipal that set up a massive library of clay tablets in Nineveh that survive to this day, thanks to a conflagration that burnt the library baking the tablets of clay thus ensuring their survival, unlike the papyrus/parchment libraries of the rest of the world that lost their collections when burnt.

The map shows the Eastern borders of the empire, the Persian gulf with trading ship, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers with the Star of "Ashur" the sun god and the Ziggurat of Ashur nearby. The western borders of Egypt (with Memphis as capital) and the northwestern borders near Cilicia being marked. Cyrus, then part of the Assyrian Empire for a time is also marked as well as several cities along the Mediterranean coast.

An interesting tablet for study of the ancient Assyrian Empire and the formation of mapping.

From a private collection in the US.

$79.95AUD plus P&H ASSMAP1

Sumerian Star Chart

Sky Map of Ancient Nineveh 3300 BC

A reproduction of a Sumerian star map or "planisphere" recovered from the 650BC underground library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh, Iraq in the late 19th century. Long thought to be an Assyrian tablet, computer analysis has matched it with the sky above Mesopotamia in 3300BC and proves it to be of much more ancient Sumerian origin. The tablet is an "Astrolabe", the earliest known astronomical instrument. It usually consisted of a segmented, disc shaped star chart with marked units of angle measure inscribed upon the rim. Unfortunately considerable parts of the planisphere are missing ( approx 40%), damage which dates to the sacking of Nineveh. The reverse of the tablet is not inscribed. Still under study by modern scholars, the planisphere provides extraordinary proof of the existence of Sumerian astronomy...and a very sophisticated astronomy at that.

138mm x 8mm thick.

$54.95AUD plus P&H Order Code SUM S/C 1 

Babylonian Star Calendar

Fragment 720BC

A fragment of a circular star calendar from the library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh. Among the library's huge cache of tablets, multiple fragments of late second millennium star charts and calendars were found. The two flat sides of the disc are inscribed in Assyrian Cuneiform with names of the months, names and figures of key stars and measurements of degrees. It is signed by the scribe Nab-Zuqup-Kenu, who lived during the reigns of Sargon II (720-704BC) and Sennacherib (703-680BC). 

105 x 80 x15mm.

$49.95AUD plus P&H Order Code BAB S/C 1

Assyrian Astrolabe Fragment

Nineveh - 720BC

A reproduction of a star chart fragment from the famous library of Ashurbanipal.  The disc is inscribed in Assyrian Cuneiform with the names of months, names of key stars and measurements in degrees. It is dated to the reign of Sargon II (720 - 704BC). It is a copy of an earlier text as a source of information that was being built in the Assyrian Library in Nineveh.

130 x 85 x 14mm.

$49.95AUD plus P&H. Order Code AAFRAG1

Akkadian - Assyrian Calendar

Ashur 1800BC

 An Akkadian calendar tablet discovered in 1910 by Walter Andrae, who led the 1908 German expedition on the ancient site of Ashur. Ashur was originally a colony of Babylonia, and became the first capitol of Assyria. Calendar Tablets like this one and others discovered in Mari in Syria, make it clear that the Semitic Akkadians possessed a highly developed calendar by 1800BC, with allocations based on a 29 and 30 day lunar month. In the city of Ashur, the years bore the name of the official elected for the year ( some were selected by casting a lot or Purim), who was named the Limmu. Along with the regent's name seal, the Assyrian months are inscribed upon the tablet in Akkadian Cuneiform and named as: Sipim, Qarratim, Kanwarta, Telnatim, Kuzali, Allantim, Bel-Tiekallim, Sa Sarratim, Marmak Assur Sa Kinatim, Mahhurili, Ab Sarrani and Hubur.

125 x 12mm

$49.95AUD plus P&H Order Code AKK CAL 1 

Neo Babylonian Star Tablet

Seleucid Astronomical Almanac 200BC

From ancient Uruk is is one of a number of astrological reports prepared for Assyrian kings, but again based on earlier sources. This tablet is from the Seleucid period 330 - 180BC.
Ancient people would often sleep on their roof at night to escape the heat of the house accumulated from the previous hot day. While sleeping on the roof and without the distortion of street lights it was no wonder that they would be fascinated by of the night sky and the wonders of Gods creation.

$49.95AUD plus P&H Order Code NBCT2

 The Star...

Was the Star of Bethlehem a real astronomical event? A myth created by the early church? Explore the history and science for yourself...

Click HERE to find out more...

Pur = Persian for "Casting a lot" Purim = plural
This is a reproduction of a Purim belonging to Iahali who was a high official of Shalmanesser III who ruled from 858-823BC.

Purim were used in many forms in the ancient world- some were merely pebbles placed in a bag, some wooden pieces with names that were placed in a jar, yet to others dice. They were used by many civilisations to invoke an answer from the gods, not as chance but as direction.
The Hebrews used the casting of lots throughout history as a means of determining the will of God in matters that were otherwise doubtful.

Magistrates and priests were appointed by them...

This particular cuneiform inscribed cube is as follows:

The end of the inscription on this lot reads as follows: ina limesu purisu ebur mat assur lisir lidmiq ina pan assur adad purisu liddâ: “In his year assigned to him by lot may the harvest of the land

of Assyria prosper and thrive, in front of the gods Assur and Adad may his lot be

placed.” The last verb liddâ has been read by Ernest Michel as li-l[i]-a from elû “to

come up.” Hallo read it lidda from nadû and translated it: “In front of the gods Assur

and Adad may his lot fall.” However, following the verb kararu in this context of

casting lots, we would expect a meaning of “may it be placed.” The verb nadû has

the meaning “to set, place” objects for exhibit, or sacrifice, and it can therefore be

translated in this meaning.

25x25x25mm cube. $29.95AUD plus P&H Quote PURIM1

ASSYRIAN PENDANT

A metal cast replica of a pendant from  Ancient Assyria. The figures are reminiscent of the art on Assyrian Seals. The above image shows both sides of the pendant. Made of lead pewter and quite heavy. Gold Leaf painted. 57 x 35 x 2.5mm.

$19.95AUD plus P&H QUOTE ASSPEN1

Brick from Babylon

Inscribed with Nebuchadnezzars name 604 -561BC

Bricks such as these of Nebuchadnezzar II  are very common around the ruins of ancient Babylon. 
Nebuchadnezzar used them in his official building projects and they were made by the millions, every one of them was stamped or written on with a  cuneiform inscription. Our Nebuchadnezzar II Brick is important in the study of Biblical Archaeology because it contains a declaration by king Nebuchadnezzar II,  who is mentioned in the Bible and is the one who destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BC and carried the Jews away into exile. It is estimated 15 million bricks were used to build his official buildings. Bricks were baked clay and usually bore a stamped inscription but some were inscribed by hand. Inscription says: 'Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who cares for Esagila and Ezida, eldest son of Nabopolassar, king of Babylon'.
Esagila was the temple of Marduk in Babylon, Ezida was the temple of Nabu, god of writing in Borsippa. size 145 x 120 x 20mm

Cast from an original in a private collection.

$59.95AUD plus P&H

OBTE $39.95AUD plus P&H 60mm x 50mm.

A clay tablet from ancient Sumeria dated sometime shortly after 2000BC with a large rounded stamp seal impression in the centre. The text surrounds the seal impression continuing down and around the tablet to part way down the other side. The seal establishes the document owner sealing it with his authority. The seal impression has some image similarities to that of the Pharaoh Narmer as seen on the Narmer Palette.

$39.95AUD plus P&H (85 x 65 x 30mm) QUOTE SUMTABSI

See our large range of Seals from Mesopotamia on our
"Ancient Seals" page.