Brick

Brick

Object name: Brick
Date: 626-539 BC
Dimensions:
82 x 185 x 175 mm
Medium: mudbrick
Object number: C00351
DescriptionFragment of mud brick from Babylon inscribed with cuneiform. This is a small oblong section, partly recessed in a corner at the edge. It has a cracked and scratched upper surface.

The brick is only a quarter of the original. It was probably sawn in pieces for sale in Europe. The inscription in the centre was made by a stamp which describes the place, building project and Babylonian ruler the brick was manufactured for.
It would also usually include a dedication to a deity. A Captain Johnson brought this and other pieces over from Iraq for the East India House Museum and Henry Syer Cuming acquired it from a Mrs Belasize. How she came to have it is not yet known.
Culture: Babylonian