Sumerian Pottery Foundation Cone Fragment for Ur-Bau

Ancient Near East, Mesopotamia, Sumer, city of Lagash, reign of Ur-Bau (also Ur-Baba), ca. 2157 to 2144 BCE. A hand-built pottery foundation cone fragment with a tapering conical body and a discoid head. The body presents with 10 columns of inscribed cuneiform text formed by impressing a sharpened stick into the malleable material just before being placed inside of a kiln. Foundation cones like this example were inscribed with prayers or praises for specific gods or rulers, and uninscribed cones were typically painted with vibrant pigments to protect against weathering. The governor Ur-Bau ushered in a short but prosperous era where the city of Lagash operated independently from their Akkadian contemporaries. Size: 2.9" L x 2.1" W (7.4 cm x 5.3 cm)

Provenance: ex-estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, acquired before 2000

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#158635
Condition Report: Loss to lower tip of body as shown. Nicks and abrasions to head and body, with softening to some cuneiform characters, and light encrustations. Nice preservation to most cuneiform characters.