Mesopotamian cuneiform brick fragment

ITEM: Cuneiform brick fragment
MATERIAL: Pottery
CULTURE: Mesopotamian
PERIOD: 2nd - 1st millenium B.C
DIMENSIONS: 110 mm x 76 mm x 48 mm
CONDITION: Good condition
PROVENANCE: Ex French private collection, B.E. (1933 - 2012), Nimes

Comes with Certificate of Authenticity and Export Licence. If you are from outside the European Union, we will have to apply for the export licence again for your country, this takes 3 to 5 weeks and has a cost of 5% of the hammer price, this amount will be added to the final invoice.

A Mesopotamian cuneiform brick is a fired or sun-dried clay brick inscribed with cuneiform script, one of the earliest forms of writing developed by the Sumerians around 3100 BCE. These bricks were commonly used in temple, palace, and city construction throughout Mesopotamia, including in Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian cultures. The inscriptions typically contained royal dedications, building records, or religious texts, commemorating the ruler who commissioned the structure. Since Mesopotamian architecture relied heavily on mudbrick due to the lack of abundant stone resources, these inscribed bricks played a crucial role in preserving historical records that would otherwise have been lost.

The content of these inscriptions often included the king’s name, titles, divine favor, and purpose of the construction. For example, bricks from the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (605–562 BCE) often state that he built or restored temples and city walls in honor of the gods. Similarly, earlier rulers like Ur-Nammu of Ur (circa 2100 BCE) left inscribed bricks marking the construction of ziggurats and public buildings. The texts were usually impressed into the soft clay using a reed stylus before firing, ensuring their longevity. In some cases, the inscriptions were deeply cut or stamped using cylinder seals, making them more resistant to erosion.

These cuneiform bricks are vital for understanding Mesopotamian history, political power, and religious practices. Many have been recovered from archaeological sites such as Ur, Babylon, Nineveh, and Nimrud, providing direct evidence of Mesopotamian rulers and their construction projects. Because the bricks were often built into walls and foundations, they served both a practical and propagandistic function, reinforcing the ruler’s legacy for future generations.