Wilberforce Eames Babylonian collection
Refine your results
Collection information
Abstract
The Manuscripts and Archives Division of The New York Public Library holds approximately 700 artifacts inscribed in an ancient writing system known as cuneiform (Latin cuneus, “wedge,” referring to the triangular shape left by the impression of the stylus in the clay). The script was invented in the mid-4th millennium BCE in the region known as Mesopotamia (Greek for “Land between the Rivers”) in what is now Iraq. These artifacts were bequeathed by the Library’s chief bibliographer, Wilberforce Eames. Today, we are able to re-engage with the societies of ancient Mesopotamia—their beliefs, art, literature, scientific accomplishments, and much more—thanks to the pioneering work of 19th-century scholars to decipher cuneiform.
Dates / Origin
Date created: ca. 2200 - 1600 BCE