Oriental Institute

One dead lamb. The level of documentation in the UR III period was quite extensive, as this text, a receipt for a deceased young sheep, indicates. A3275, baked clay, Drehem, Iraq, UR III period (ca. 2100 BC).pic.twitter.com/VfoRGEXpKp

#tbt to the OI excavations at the site of Tell Asmar in Iraq. In this picture, an Iraqi member of the OI excavation team is preparing to use a kiln to bake cuneiform tablets in their containers. This was a common practice, with the idea that it would prevent further damage.pic.twitter.com/oUkPWt1iay

Not all Sumerian texts were written on tablets. Sumerians wrote on a variety of objects, like this cone. This text records the restoration of the god Ningirsu’s temple by Gudea, the ruler of Lagash. A1447, baked clay, UR III period (ca. 2100 BC)pic.twitter.com/YWDCgnfcTR

Ever wonder how many liters grain measures were in the 4th millennium BC? Or how many rations of grain a laborer would have received? This tablet helped provide scholars with a bit of insight into those questions. A2515, Baked clay, Iraq, Uruk period (ca. 3100 BC)pic.twitter.com/hycT0pMaY6

OI Tablet challenge! Have you always wanted to learn to read Sumerian? Now is your chance! Register for our online OI class: “Introduction to the Sumerian Language, Script, and Culture.” http://bit.ly/oiclassSumerian  A12259, Baked clay, Tell Asmar, Iraq, Uruk period (ca. 3100 BC)pic.twitter.com/GyCfPdua9c

With the conversion of Egypt to Christianity in the early centuries AD, artists gradually adopted new decorative themes which were associated with the new religion. Learn more: http://bit.ly/oi-insta  E16734: bronze, Egypt, Medinet Habu, Byzantine Period (6th–8th centuries AD)pic.twitter.com/RXmuGOAkLQ

#tbt to the excavations at Oxyrhnychus. Large amounts of Greek papyri were found at the site by Grenfell and Hunt, working between 1896–1907 on behalf of the Graeco-Roman Branch of the Egypt Exploration Fund. E8339, papyrus and ink, Egypt, Roman Period (156 AD)pic.twitter.com/Tyiu76Vjxt

With the fusion of Greco-Roman & Egyptian artistic techniques, we begin to see the emergence of a naturalistic art form in Egypt, which is exemplified in Fayum portraits & funerary shrouds. Learn more: http://bit.ly/oi-insta  E9385: Late Roman Period (mid-3rd century AD)pic.twitter.com/89N6izgESC

Despite the conquest of regions in the ancient Middle East and North Africa by Hellenistic dynasties, local languages continued. The cuneiform tablet from Warka details the sale of several house plots on July 10, 223 BC. A2519, baked clay, Iraq, Seleucid Period (223 BC)pic.twitter.com/jwtVhyqC1R

This week we look at objects from the Greco-Roman period in the ancient Middle East and North Africa. We start with an amphora handle from Medinet Habu inscribed with a Greek inscription. E14798, baked clay, Egypt, Ptolemaic Period (220-180 BC)pic.twitter.com/1WzZydEC4C

Carnelian beads were popular in ancient Egypt and Nubia. The necklace here was found in a tomb at the site of Medinet Habu. E10567, faience, carnelian, and lapis lazuli, Egypt, Late Period (747-332 BC)pic.twitter.com/BjPO0v7he3

#tbt to James Henry Breasted’s expedition to Nubia in 1906-1907. This photograph is taken on top of the Gebel Barkal, looking south towards the town of Merowe, which is located on the other side of the Nile.pic.twitter.com/pYCjRCBc8d

Ramses III’s mortuary temple documented his struggles with foreign invaders who were attempting to take over Egypt during his reign. Reliefs at Medinet Habu shows the Libyans attempting to invade and settle in Egypt in Year 11 of Ramses III’s reign but he was able to defeat them.pic.twitter.com/HVrdgSklfj

The OI Museum has coins in the collection, including those from North Africa, like this example from Morocco. The ”1309” is a reference to the Muslim Hijra year, meaning that it was minted in 1891/1892 AD. X305, silver, Morocco, 'Alawi Dynastypic.twitter.com/699JnoSbNS

This week we’re looking at the OI collections from across North Africa. In Dynasty 22, rulers came from Libya to Egypt. We see a number of individuals with names that do not look Egyptian, including Karama, on this stela. E1352, Wood and paint, Egypt, Dynasty 22 (945-715 BC)pic.twitter.com/Z8sJNiXfkw