{"id":4128,"date":"2023-01-03T11:53:16","date_gmt":"2023-01-03T16:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/?p=4128"},"modified":"2023-01-05T14:10:04","modified_gmt":"2023-01-05T19:10:04","slug":"challenge-of-a-millennia-how-to-store-an-oversized-clay-tablet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/2023\/01\/challenge-of-a-millennia-how-to-store-an-oversized-clay-tablet","title":{"rendered":"Challenge of a Millennia: How to Store an Oversized Clay Tablet?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The University of Cincinnati’s Archives and Rare Books Library owns a few cuneiform tablets that date around the 1st<\/sup> century BCE.  Most are small enough to fit within the palm of your hand.  However, the clay tablet in question measures 14 inches (W) by 14 inches (T) x 4.5 inches (D) and weighs roughly 40-50 lbs.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Assyrian cornerstone during surface cleaning<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

More accurately, it is thought to be an Assyrian cornerstone that dates between 860 and 824 BCE.  It is described in the catalog record to be from the ruins of Calah (near Ninevah) on the Tigris River.  It is likely the cornerstone of a temple or palace erected by Salmanser III, king of Assyria. The provenance of how the University acquired the tablet is uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A translation of the cuneiform writing reads, \u201c\u201cSalmaneser, the great king, the mighty king, king of the universe, king of Assyria, son of Asurnaserpal, the great king, the mighty king, the king of Assyria, son of Tukulbi-Ninib, king of the universe, king of Assyria, and indeed builder of the temple-tower of the city of Calah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n