This 3D reproduction faithfully recreates the Neo-Babylonian clay tablet (British Museum BM 114789) that dates to the end of the 7th century BCE, associated with Nebuchadnezzar II’s chief eunuch, Nebo-Sarsekim. The model shows the tablet’s physical dimensions—about 5.5 cm wide, bearing the distinctive Late Babylonian administrative form. The surface is inscribed with eleven lines of cuneiform text, rendered in meticulous wedge-shaped strokes, documenting a gold transaction to the Esangila temple.
- Central cuneiform inscription:
𒀭𒀝𒋗𒊬𒍑𒌦𒊑𒊕𒅆𒋗𒉌𒉡𒊑𒁕 Nabu-šarrūšu-ukin rab ša-rēši - “Nebo-Sarsekim, chief of the eunuchs.”
- The corresponding Hebrew for the name and title in Jeremiah 39:3:
נְבוּ = Nəvū שַׂר־סְכִים = Sar-sǝkhîm רַב־סָרִיס = Rav-Saris
“Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and sat in the middle gate: Nergal-sar-ezer of Samgar, Nebu-sar-sekim the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, with all the rest of the officers of the king of Babylon.” Jeremiah 39:3
Material and finish:
The digital surface reproduces clay texture, cracks, and color, as seen in the original artifact.
This 3D piece not only presents an archaeological object but visually and linguistically connects the ancient Babylonian record and its preservation in the Hebrew Bible. The inscriptions—Babylonian cuneiform and biblical Hebrew—are key for studying the historicity and cross-cultural links of ancient Near Eastern administration and religion.
