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| Cuneiform, or
wedge-shaped writing, was an ancient form of communication
originating in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq). Considered the
earliest form of writing, and most often using clay as the medium of
choice, the topics of concern were primarily business transactions:
temple recordings, listings of provisions taken on a journey,
records of sales, etc. Succeeding pictographs, cuneiform eventually
died out and was replaced by Phoenian script.
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| Acquired in 1913 from
Edgar J. Banks, Truman State University's collection of fifteen ancient
artifacts includes baked and unbaked clay tablets, Palestinian oil
lamps, a Babylonian cylinder seal, and a votive cone.
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| In the fall of 1999,
Truman student Michael Murawski, with the assistance of art photographer Bryna Campbell,
created, as part of an Undergraduate Research Project initiative, a
brochure entitled Reading the Past: Ancient Mesopotamian Objects in
the Violette Historical Museum. This brochure details information
about the cuneiform collection held by the University, including
acquisition, cataloging, and placement in the E.M. Violette Museum, a
short description and catalog list of objects in the Museum's care,
the history of cuneiform tablets, and background information on the
Student Research Project. Many thanks to both individuals for the use
of their information and photographs in this exhibit.
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