Old Akkadian inscriptions in Chicago Natural History Museum; texts of legal and business interest / Ignace J. Gelb, Professor of Assyriology, The Oriential Institute, The University of Chicago.
Year: 1955
Type: book
Abstract: INSCRIPTIONSnected with the reconstruction of Proto-Semitic.The texts h'kewise greatly further our understanding of the development of social institutions in the Near East, for their subject matter is largely legal and administrative in nature.Containing, as they do, many words attesting to the existence of certain tools and implements used in industry and agriculture, the texts shed light on these activities of the ancient Akkadians as well.And, finally, the personal names mentioned in the texts help in the reconstruction of the ethnic background of the area in which the tablets originated.Contrary to the normal procedure in text publications of this sort, the tablets are here presented in the form of photographs rather than in autographed copies.Since Old Akkadian texts are usually written in a clear, legible script, it is hoped that this will inflict no hardship upon the reader.The plates show the tablets in their actual size.Elsewhere in this monograph (pp.169ff.) it is suggested that the tablets of the Museum ultimately originated in the region of the Diyala River, east of the Tigris.Since almost no tablets of the Old Akkadian period from this region have as yet been made public, it is more than fortunate that I have had access to materials from the Diyala region in the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.They have been most useful for comparison with the Museum tablets.
Language: English
Topic: Ancient Near East History
Subfield: Archeology (arts and humanities)
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W2487475890