Babylonian Clay Tablets collection

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Woods, William Wells, Major, 1841-1920
Title: Babylonian Clay Tablets collection
Dates: 2400 - 2350 BCE (bulk)
24002400
Quantity: 0.5 cubic feet, (document box)
Collection Number: MG 5723
Summary: Two clay tablets with cuneiform writing dating from 2400-2340 BCE and correspondence about the provenance and provenience of the clay tablets.
Repository: University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives
Special Collections and Archives
University of Idaho Library
875 Perimeter Drive
MS 2350
Moscow, ID
83844-2350
Telephone: 2088850845
libspec@uidaho.edu
Access Restrictions: This collection is open for research. Restrictions apply: Special Collections and Archives staff are required for handling.
Languages: English

Content Description

This collection contains two Babylonian clay tablets with cuneiform writing donated by Major W.W. Woods from Wallace, Idaho in 1923. The collection also contains correspondence regarding the ownership history of the tablets and a display platform.

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Historical Note

Major W.W. Woods donated these tablets to the University of Idaho in 1923.

In the Ancient Near East, clay tablets were used as a writing medium, especially for writing in cuneiform, throughout the Bronze Age and well into the Iron Age. These tablets were found at Jo-kha, the ruin of the city of Umna in Central Babylonia (now Iraq). Umna was an important provincial center; over 30,000 cuneiform tablets have been recovered, most are administrative and economic texts. One tablet in isolation fails to give a sense of context.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

FOR PHOTOS Photographer, "Title," date. Collection name, object ID. University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives, Moscow, ID.

FOR DOCUMENTS Author, Description or "Title" of item, date. Collection name, collection number, box, folder. University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives, Moscow, ID.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Original order retained.

Acquisition Information

The materials in this collection were donated by Major and Mrs. W.W. Woods in 1923. The descriptive documents were found by Erin Stoddart in Garth Reese's office in 2015. Documents were placed in a box with the tablets.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Series I: Babylonian Tablets and Materials
- Description: Documentation
  14 items : Correspondence regarding the provenance of the tablets, Argonaut article, translation, provenience and provenance documentation for the Babylonian tablets.
  
  Dates: 1920-2016
  
  Container: Box 1, Folder 1
  
  Location: Series I: Babylonian Tablets and Materials
- Description: Babylonian Tablets
  2 items : Two Babylonian baked clay tablets from Jokha. Tablet #2 is 3.7 cm x 4.4 cm, and #8 is 5.1 cm x 4.2 cm.
  
  Container: Box 1, Object 2
  
  Location: Series I: Babylonian Tablets and Materials
- Description: Display platform
  1 items : Display platform made for displaying the tablets. Felted fabric.
  
  Dates: undated
  
  Container: Box 1, Object 3
  
  Location: Series I: Babylonian Tablets and Materials

Babylonian Clay Tablets collection, 2400 - 2350 BCE

Table of Contents

Overview of the Collection

Content Description

Historical Note

Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Administrative Information

Arrangement

Acquisition Information

Detailed Description of the Collection

Series I: Babylonian Tablets and Materials

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Other Creators

Personal Names