Babylonian Foundation Tablet in the Walters Art Museum, September 2009

Foundation Tablet

Creator: Mesopotamian (Artist)

Period: 1834-1823 BC (Old Babylonian; Isin-Larsa)

Medium: Egyptian blue (Ceramics)

Accession Number: 48.2481

Measurements: H: 2 3/16 x W: 3 x D: 7/8 in. (5.6 x 7.6 x 2.2 cm)

Geographies: Larsa (in present-day Iraq) (Place of Origin)


The emphasis on sumptuous materials, such as precious metals and stones, is a common characteristic of foundation deposits. This tablet resembles the semiprecious stone lapis lazuli, prized by the Mesopotamians, although it is in fact made from a less costly material known as "Egyptian blue." It bears an inscription of King Warad-Sin, ruler of the city-state of Larsa, with a prayer and a dedication.

Text from: art.thewalters.org/detail/17796/foundation-tablet/