Stele (Kudurru)

This stele, damaged at the top, is a kudurru. Found in Babylonia (modern-day Iraq), it sets out a framework for the demarcation and possession of land. The sides and bottom of the stele bear inscriptions in cuneiform characters. The text in Akkadian, the language spoken in Mesopotamia at the time, indicates that the Babylonian king Meli-Shipak (1186-1172 BCE) has granted land to several administrators. The contract is enshrined under the protection of deities, whose symbols are engraved on the face. In the middle section, for example, we can see the ram of Shala, the goddess of agriculture. Although Babylonian in origin, this stele was found in Iran. It was part of the spoils of a plunder mission organised by the Elamite king Shutruk-Nakhunte (southwest Iran, 1185-1160 BCE).