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Cuneiform cylinder of King Nebuchadnezzar II

Near Eastern, Mesopotamian, Babylonian
Neo-Babylonian Period, reign of Nebuchadnezzar II
604–562 B.C.
Object Place: Babylon

Medium/Technique Pottery
Dimensions Overall: 17 x 8.4 cm (6 11/16 x 3 5/16 in.)
Credit Line Arthur Mason Knapp Fund
Accession Number44.658
ClassificationsInscriptions

DescriptionClay cylinder of King Nebuchadnezzar II (reigned 604-562 B.C.) with cuneiform writing. The inscription on this cylinder records the restoration by Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon, of the temple of the god Lugalmarada in the town of Marad. The text reveals that during the restoration, it was discovered that the ancient lower courses of the structure had been laid by Naram-Sin, king of Akkad, more than sixteen hundred years earlier.
ProvenanceBy 1944: with E. S. David, Long Island City, New York; 1944: purchased by the MFA from E. S. David for $500.
(Accession Date: June 8, 1944)