Ancient Sumerian Cuneiform Tablet.

c. 2100 B.C.E. Rare ancient Sumerian Cuneiform tablet recording religious offerings made to several deities including Nin-lil, Enlil, Nanaya, Inanna, and Nanna. Clay, Third Dynasty of Ur, the tablet measures 1.75 inches by 2.25 inches and documents the offerings of sheep issued by Enlil-zishagl, a well-known official involved in many other similar texts that date to the reign of King Shu-Suen of Ur. Housed in a custom acrylic and wood mount. The earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia, Sumer emerged during the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium B.C.E. It was one of the first civilizations in the world, along with ancient Egypt, the Caral-Supe civilization, the Indus Valley civilization, the Minoan civilization, and ancient China. Living along the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates, Sumerian farmers grew an abundance of grain and other crops, the surplus from which enabled them to form urban settlements. The most important archaeological discoveries in Sumer are a large number of clay tablets written in cuneiform script. Sumerian writing is considered to be a great milestone in the development of humanity's ability to not only create historical records but also in creating pieces of literature, both in the form of poetic epics and stories as well as prayers and laws.