Nonadministrative Documents from Archaic Ur and from Early Dynastic I–II Mesopotamia: A New Textual and Archaeological Analysis

Lecompte, Camille; Benati, Giacomo

doi:10.5615/jcunestud.69.2017.0003

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 5 publications

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“…In this light, the persistent interpretation of tablet groups as unproblematic in-situ archives deserves closer scrutiny. Depositional contexts of tablets other than archives have also been identified before, such as refuse deposits or the use of tablets in construction layers (Veenhof 1986: 2;Lecompte and Benati 2017;Işık et al 2021;Michalowski 2021: 69). Ritual or political motives have been suggested for the destruction and burying of certain tablets as well (May 2012: 15-16;Levtow 2012: 325).…”

Section: A Taphonomic Approachmentioning

confidence: 92%

The Taphonomy of Middle Assyrian Cuneiform Tablet Clusters: Archives or Refuse?

Klinkenberg¹,

Düring²

2023

Journal of Cuneiform Studies

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In this article we report on the taphonomic analysis of several Middle Assyrian tablet clusters to identify the way these objects ended up in the ground. Rather than in-situ archives that were left behind during some catastrophe, we argue that these tablets were often deliberately discarded. Specifically for the tablet clusters we examined, we propose that they were first temporarily discarded in "office bins. " We claim that the occurrence of clustered, homogenous tablet groups at our sites are the result of the occasional emptying of such bins. The methodology we present could be of value for the analysis of other similar tablet-bearing contexts.

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Section: A Taphonomic Approachmentioning

confidence: 92%