Cast reconstruction of Babylonian Flood Tablet
This object is a modern version of the so-called Flood Tablet, a cuneiform-inscribed clay tablet which is an account of the deluge featured in the Epic of Gilgamesh. It was not cast from an ancient tablet but rather from a nineteenth-century interpretation based on multiple ancient fragments. Assyriologist Paul Haupt made the modern tablet in clay, basing its size and shape on an example held in the British Museum and reconstructed from several fragments (K.2252 + K.2602 + K.3321 + K.4486 + Sm1881). The original was part of the Library of Ashurbanipal (r. ca. 669-631 B.C.) at his palace in the Assyrian capital, Nineveh, in northern Iraq.
The decipherment of the text caused a sensation in the late nineteenth century because of its similarity to the Flood story in the Book of Genesis. This modern Flood Tablet was available for purchase from the Johns Hopkins Press and examples are known in other North American institutions. They were intended to make cuneiform writing available to students who could not access the original clay tablets.
In the nineteenth century, many museums collected copies of ancient and historical works of art with the aim of presenting outstanding works to a broader public and to serve as inspiration for artists and manufacturers. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, founded in 1870, began to acquire casts in its first decade. In 1886-87, Henry Marquand, a collector and early patron of the Museum, funded a large purchase of sculptural plaster casts. Many casts of Assyrian reliefs discovered at Nimrud and Nineveh were exhibited with this tablet at The Met in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
The decipherment of the text caused a sensation in the late nineteenth century because of its similarity to the Flood story in the Book of Genesis. This modern Flood Tablet was available for purchase from the Johns Hopkins Press and examples are known in other North American institutions. They were intended to make cuneiform writing available to students who could not access the original clay tablets.
In the nineteenth century, many museums collected copies of ancient and historical works of art with the aim of presenting outstanding works to a broader public and to serve as inspiration for artists and manufacturers. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, founded in 1870, began to acquire casts in its first decade. In 1886-87, Henry Marquand, a collector and early patron of the Museum, funded a large purchase of sculptural plaster casts. Many casts of Assyrian reliefs discovered at Nimrud and Nineveh were exhibited with this tablet at The Met in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
Artwork Details
- Title: Cast reconstruction of Babylonian Flood Tablet
- Date: 19th century, after 7th century BCE original
- Medium: Plaster
- Dimensions: 6 1/2 × 8 7/8 × 13/16 in. (16.5 × 22.5 × 2.1 cm)
- Credit Line: Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1886-87
- Object Number: 87.33.21
- Curatorial Department: Ancient West Asian Art
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Seleucid or Parthian
ca. 2nd–1st century BCE
Seleucid
ca. 4th–2nd century BCE
Seleucid or Parthian
ca. 2nd–1st century BCE
Babylonian
ca. 604–562 BCE
Assyrian
ca. 721–705 BCE
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.