NEO-BABYLONIAN TERRACOTTA BRICK WITH INSCRIPTION OF NABUCHADNEZZAR II Ca. 604 - 562 BC. A fired clay brick of rectangular form, with a broad, flat face stamped with a six-line cuneiform inscription enclosed within a rectangular panel. The reverse bears an uneven layer of bitumen, preserved in areas up to 1 cm thick. The text is in Babylonian, written in cuneiform script, and dates to the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, 604–562 BC. Inscription transliteration: (1) {d}AG-ku-dur-i URU (2) LUGAL babili (3) za-ni-in Esagila (4) u Ezida (5) SAG.KAL {d}AG IBILA URU (6) LUGAL babili Inscription translation: Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who provides for Esagila and Ezida, the eldest son of Nabopolassar, king of Babylon. For similar see: Sotheby's, Ancient Sculpture and Works of Art Part II, 8 Dec 2021, Lot 132, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Object Number: 59.41.85. Size: 335mm x 330mm; Weight: 13.47kg Provenance: Private UK collection, acquired on the UK art market; Ex Private Sussex UK collection; Previously from the personal collection of S. W. Gentle-Cackett (1871–1943), who was a Christian Missionary working in the Middle East at the beginning of the 20th century. Cackett was a keen collector and wrote *Palestine Portrayed: Camera Pictures Reproduced with Descriptions and Explanations*. Cackett was Secretary of the Bible Lands Missionary Society, which published a quarterly newspaper titled *East in the East: Life and Work in the Bible Lands* (1930s). Accompanied by a copy of the book Palestine Portrayed, 1936, written by S.W. Gentle-Cackett. Accompanied by copies of the relevant pages from the book They Wrote on Clay, showing similar bricks in situ. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter.