Ostracon
A careful and regular hand inscribed this limestone flake with an account, most of which is still preserved. The ostracon is inscribed in black on one side only, and the break at the top with a trace of one sign above the first preserved line shows that the inscribed area was once greater. The total of the account, which is more than the sum of the preserved numbers, confirms this view. The list divides into four sections with lines running across the ostracon. The first section is now lost, and the second and third open with a place name and mention three individuals, their filiation, and their amounts. The final and fourth section calculates the sum in bags, without disclosing the matter in hand or the nature of the transaction.
Artwork Details
- Title: Ostracon
- Period: Middle Kingdom
- Dynasty: Dynasty 11–12
- Date: ca. 2030–1640 B.C.
- Geography: From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Southern Asasif, Unfinished Temple Site, MMA excavations, 1920–22
- Medium: Limestone, ink
- Dimensions: W. 21 cm (8 1/4 in.); H. 21 cm (8 1/4 in.)
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1922
- Object Number: 22.3.29
- Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art
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