gems, history of gemology, gem prices

Hilprecht and Clay’s The Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania, Series A: Cuneiform Texts forms part of the publication of tablets and inscriptions recovered principally by the University of Pennsylvania expedition to Nippur. The series presents cuneiform texts in facsimile, transcription, and, where appropriate, translation and commentary, encompassing religious, literary, lexical, mathematical, administrative, legal, and economic documents from ancient Mesopotamia. Individual volumes provide primary evidence for the Sumerian and Akkadian languages and for Babylonian religion, commerce, law, science, and everyday life. Of gemological interest are texts and lexical materials containing names for stones, minerals, metals, and manufactured objects, which contribute to the identification of ancient Mesopotamian terminology for precious and ornamental materials and to understanding their trade and use. The series is therefore an important primary source for the study of Babylonian material culture and the terminology and historical uses of stones in the ancient Near East.