SUMERIAN CLAY TABLET WITH PROTO-CUNEIFORM INSCRIPTION Ca. 3300 - 3100 BC. A clay tablet inscribed in six registers of pictographic proto-cuneiform, most likely recording quantities of livestock and other goods. The reverse bears a similar inscription divided by vertical and horizontal lines. Proto-cuneiform is one of the earliest forms of writing; it consists of wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets used to record economic transactions, administrative data, and temple activities in ancient Mesopotamia. For similar see: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number: 1988.433.1. Size: 65mm x 40mm; Weight: 40g Provenance: Property of a North London gentleman; previously acquired by A.O. on the UK/European art market in the 1980s. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter.