Mesopotamian cuneiform clay tablet

A small impressed clay tablet from about 3100-3000 BC, Mesopotamia. The cuneiform inscription, possibly Sumerian and is a record of receipt for the delivery of agricultural produce to a Ziggurat Temple. Cuneiform is the earliest writing system in the world and was made by impressing triangular-shaped wedges into wet clay tablets. Such ancient tablets offer valuable insights into the daily lives of Mesopotamian or Babylonian life and hold information on the history of writing. This item is part of the Hans Anton Aschenborn Collection, first assembled for the University of Pretoria Merensky Library in 1955.