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© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University
Cone of King Gudea of Lagash with Commemorative Inscription
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University
ClassificationsAncient Near Eastern Art

Cone of King Gudea of Lagash with Commemorative Inscription

AAT Object Form/Functioninscribing
AAT Object Form/Functioncones (geometric figures)
AAT Object Form/Functiontablets (information artifacts)
Place CreatedLagash, Iraq, Asia
CultureSumerian
PeriodThird Dynasty of Ur
Date2100-2000 BCE
MediumClay
Credit LineGift of Cora W. and Laurence C. Witten II
Dimensions6 x 2 x 2 in. (15.2 x 5.1 x 5.1 cm)
Object number1989.010.017
Label TextClay tablets in the form of cylinders or cones bore commemorative building inscriptions and recorded the name of the builder, usually a king, and often lengthy recitals of historical and cultic events. These were placed by the hundreds in the walls and foundations of temples and palaces.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, May 11, 1993 - Spring 2001
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, September 2001 - February 12, 2018
ProvenanceEx coll. Laurence (1926-1995) and Cora (1931-2023) Witten, United States, purchased from Parke-Bernet, New York, New York, ca. 1962.
Status
Not on view
Collections
  • Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern Art