East India House Inscription
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| East India House Inscription | |
|---|---|
 East India House Inscription | |
| Material | Limestone |
| Size | 56 cm by 50 cm |
| Created | 604-562 BC |
| Present location | British Museum, London |
| Registration | 1938,0520.1 |
The East India House Inscription is an important foundation tablet from ancient Babylon. Since 1938, it has been a major artifact in the British Museum's Middle East collection.[1]
Royal inscriptions like the East India House Inscription were intended for public display or burial in the foundations of buildings. Unlike most cuneiform writing that was made in clay, foundation tablets like this were carved in stone and were more carefully articulated, the scribes clearly taking pride in the beauty and clarity of their engraving. This text was probably originally buried in the foundations of one of King Nebuchadnezzar's numerous constructions in Babylon between 604 and 562 BC. The dimensions of the tablet measure 56.5 cm by 50.2 cm, with a thickness of 9.52 cm.
History of the Find
The tablet was unearthed before 1803 in the ruins of Babylon by Sir Harford Jones Brydges, then British Resident in Baghdad. Later, Brydges presented it to the museum of East India House. It has since been known as the East India House Inscription. The tablet was eventually donated to the British Museum when the collections of East India House museum were dispersed.
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