Images

Painting by Reginald Arthur from 1892 CE, depicting the legendary death of Cleopatra by snakebite.

The first tablet of Maqlu (Akkadian, which means burning), the Akkadian series of incantations directed against demons and witches. The spells involved the manufacturer of wax figurines; these would then be burned in certain ceremonies. From...

Since very ancient inscriptions would often come to light during building and restoration work, Mesopotamian scribes possessed some understanding of the pictographic origin of their script. The text on this clay tablet is an attempt to provide...

Mesopotamian clay tablet with the episodes of the epic of creation. It narrates how the god Anshar summons the gods together for a banquet. They celebrate Marduk's appointment as champion; Marduk defeated Tiamat in the primeval chaos. From...

Occasionally, cuneiform text scribes encounter difficult or rare words. The list on this clay tablet explain such words. From the library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh (modern-day Ninawa Governorate, Iraq), northern Mesopotamia. Neo-Assyrian...

Two almost similar letter tablets relaying the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal's orders to his employees to find local copies of particular compositions, which the royal library at Nineveh lacked. Sent from Nineveh and found at the city of Borsippa...

This large and partially broken clay tablet tells us how Ishtar, goddess of love and war, decided to descend and enter the underworld. During her long journey, she was gradually stripped of her attributes, therefore, she lost all of her...

This fragment of a clay tablet narrates in 17 lines of cuneiform inscription the origin of Sargon and recounts how as a baby he was found in a basket floating in a river. Sargon reigned from 2334-2279 BCE. From the library of Ashurbanipal...

A copper-alloy amulet of Pazuzu; the king of the demons of the wind. He has a human body, 4 wings, lion forepaws, vulture's feet, and rattle snake tail. Pazuzu is often depicted with his right hand pointing upward and left hand pointing downward...

This is the 4th tablet of the story of Etana, which tells us how Etana was carried to Heaven on the back of an eagle. Etana did this long journey in order to find the plant of birth. He was a Sumerian king of Kish. This story is one of the...