Chicago Stone

Chicago Stone

The cuneiform script, like our own alphabet, was used to write many different languages. This black basalt tablet, written in Sumerian, is referred to as the "Chicago Stone," and is one of the oldest known documents pertaining to Sumerian economic life. The nine columns of text inscribed on both the obverse (front) and reverse (back) of this tablet record the sale of a number of fields, probably to a single buyer. The purchases recorded were all made in silver, although in some cases additional payments in items such as oil, wool, and bread are also noted. Because stone was such a rare and expensive commodity in ancient Mesopotamia, its use here indicates that this document was extremely important, and that it was intended to be a permanent record.

Learning Collection

Helpful Links

Further Exploration

Find the best the web has to offer on Mesopotamia
eCUIP: The Digital Library