Mesopotamian Clay Cones in the ancient Near East Collections of the Royal Museums of Art and History

摘要

This article presents a set of 16 clay cones conserved in the Royal Museums of Art and History (RMAH). They entered the Ancient Near East collections of the museum through various pathways since the early 20th century. These cones, nails or pegs were once placed in the foundations or walls of prominent Mesopotamian structures. The inscriptions on them testify to the grand building achievements of the rulers under which they were produced. The cones discussed in this publication are dated to the reigns of Enmetena, Ur-Bau, Gudea, Šulgi, Išme-Dagan and Lipit-Eštar (ca. 2400 to 1900 BC). In addition, the importance of interactive images for the unbiased publication of this type of three-dimensional inscribed objects is demonstrated using the Portable Light Dome system developed by the KU Leuven.