Published Old Mesopotamian Cuneiform Foundation Cone

Ancient Near East, Old Babylon, reign of King Ishme-Dagan of Isin, ca. 1889 to 1871 BCE. A fine clay foundation cone with roughly four-fifths of its conical body wrapped in ten lines of dense cuneiform text. The body tapers to a rounded point and has a wide, slightly convex discoid head on the other end. Clay cones like this are also referred to as dedication pegs or funerary pegs; they were inscribed, baked, and stuck into walls made of mud-brick to mark ownership either by a god or a ruler. These dedications sometimes include stories or boasts about the rulers they describe, and are some of our earliest sources of written royal history. Size: 5.875" L x 2.125" W (14.9 cm x 5.4 cm).

The translation of this foundation cone commemorates the building of the wall of Isin in ancient Babylon (modern Tell Bahriayat) by the king Ishme-Dagan of Isin. When translated, this cone reads, "Ishme-Dagan, the strong warrior, the king of Isin, the king of the four quarters of the world, when he, Nippur, beloved city of Enlil, completely built, his troops in military service working around Isin, built these walls: Ishme-Dagan thanks Enlil and (rules) with the strength of his name."

Published in "Beloved by Time: Four Millennia of Ancient Art." Fortuna Fine Art, Ltd., New York, 2000, p. 19, fig. 29.

A trio of similar examples, one of which having a similar subject matter to this example, hammered for GBP 2,000 ($2,679) at Bonhams, London, Knightsbridge Antiquities Auction (May 23, 2012, lot 93): https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20164/lot/93/

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

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#135555
Condition Report: Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age as expected, very minor nicks to tip, body, and discoid head, fading to some inscribed cuneiform characters, and some darkened areas of orange coloration, otherwise intact and excellent for its age. Small drill hole on end of tip. Nice earthen deposits and light encrustations throughout.