120 Years in 120 Objects
Join the KwaZulu-Natal Museum in celebrating the museumโs 120th year of orbiting the sun. Staff and guest curators have chosen one object or item per year of our existence to highlight to the public. Visit the website and our social media platforms regularly to see the latest object and keep an eye out for information about a physical exhibition later this year!
Todayโs Object is from 1960
Mesopotamian Tablet by Inandi Maree, Senior Exhibitions Manager
Cuneiform is the earliest known form of writing and while tablets with this writing are common, there are very few in South Africa. The KwaZulu-Natal Museum only has one of these ancient tablets in our collections.
The language on this particular tablet is presumably Akkadian as it was found at Assur, which was the first capital of Assyria (a part of the Akkadian Empire). The tablet reads, โTo Ashur, King of all gods, tribute of devotion, from his faithful servant, Sargon King of Sumer and Akkadโ.
Ashur was the father of all gods in ancient Assyria. As Ashurโs representative, the kingโs divine duty was to grow the lands of the Akkadian Empire. Sargon of Akkad was the first ruler of the Akkadian Empire, which included most of Mesopotamia (which covered modern-day Iraq and parts Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey). He reigned for about 55 years until his death in 2279 BC. Sargon of Akkad had an interesting birth legend, similar to that of Moses. Because his mother was a priestess, and was forbidden to have children, she gave birth to him in secret, and placed him in a basket on the river for his own safety. He was found and raised by a gardener in the city of Kish.
It is unknown how the donor, Bishop C. Ferguson-Davie, came into possession of the tablet in or around 1918. He was the first Anglican bishop of Singapore from 1909-1927. It is possible that during his time in Singapore he travelled to Mesopotamia to acquire the tablet. He worked and served in Natal from 1929 onwards. He donated this tablet to the museum in 1960, just three years before his death.
