Illustration
This is a fired clay cover of the sun god (Shamash) tablet. Its purpose was to protect the obverse side (face) of the tablet. It has retained the impression of the carved panel of the tablet. The Babylonian king Nabu-apla-iddina (reigned 888-855 BCE) made this cover and the tablet was buried. The Babylonian king Nabopolassar (reigned 626-605 BCE) found the tablet, and in order to open the tablet, this cover had to be broken. The latter cover, however, was replaced with a new one (to cover the face of the tablet) while this broken one was retained. Both covers were placed in a single coffer and then buried. Circa 860-850 BCE. From the Temple of Shamash at Sippar, Southern Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. (The British Museum, London).
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Cite This Work
APA Style
Amin, O. S. M. (2018, March 22). Clay Cover of the Tablet of Shamash. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/image/8409/
Chicago Style
Amin, Osama S. M. "Clay Cover of the Tablet of Shamash." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified March 22, 2018. https://www.ancient.eu/image/8409/.
MLA Style
Amin, Osama S. M. "Clay Cover of the Tablet of Shamash." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 22 Mar 2018. Web. 17 Jun 2019.