Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Columbia University
- Abstract:
- The collection consists of 624 cuneiform tablets (dating from circa 3100-539 BCE), and some ancient clay objects. Accompanying these are some twentieth century casts, and a collection of catalogs of the collection, articles about various parts, especially Plimpton 322, and correspondence about the tablets, including a number of letters, mostly from Edgar J. Banks, to George A. Plimpton, and others about tablets now in the Columbia collection.
- Extent:
- 62.5 Linear Feet and 30 artifact boxes, 3 half-document boxes, and one standard document box
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Columbia University Cuneiform Collection; Box and Folder (if known); Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Background
- Scope and Content:
The collection consists of 625 cuneiform tablets (dating from circa 3100-539 BCE), and some ancient clay objects. Accompanying these are some twentieth century casts, and a collection of catalogs of the collection, articles about various parts, especially Plimpton 322, and correspondence about the tablets, including a number of letters, mostly from Edgar J. Banks, to George A. Plimpton, and others about tablets now in the Columbia collection.
- Biographical / Historical:
The collection began with 435 cuneiform tablets were purchased for Columbia in 1895, and grew over the decades with purchases and gifts. Another description of the collection and its history is found on the Columbia page at CDLI. [link: https://cdli.ucla.edu/collections/columbia/columbia_intro.html]
435 cuneiform tablets were purchased in 1895 from the New York antiquities dealer, David Z. Noorian for Columbia by friends of the University, and 32 tablets were bought from Dikran Kelekian, December 1895, with funds from Mr. L.S. Bernheimer. These acquisitions were organized by Professor Richard Gottheil. In 1902, Professor John Dyneley Prince presented 18 tablets. In 1934, Professor David Eugene Smith donated 16 cuneiform tablets, and in 1936 George Arthur Plimpton gave 34, including the now famous mathematical tablet, Plimpton 322 (CULC 460). In 1959, the collection of 75 tablets belonging to Paul Monroe, Professor at Teachers College, was donated in his memory by his children, Jeanette Monroe Bassett and Ellis Monroe. There were also several small gifts: one tablet from Mr. Philip Coan, reported in Columbia Library Columns 8:2, Feb 1959, p. 35; two tablets from Dr. J.G. Phelps Stokes in 1960, four tablets in 1965 from Harry G. Friedman, two from Professor Lynn Thorndike in 1966, three from Professor Frances Henne in 1973, one tablet from Otto W. Fuhrman (undated gift), and a tablet transferred from the Art Properties in 2011. A cylinder seal in hematite was purchased in1962 (CU Columns 12:1, Nov 1962, p. 30); another was purchased with funds from Dallas Pratt & Aubrey Cartwright (CU Columns 13:1, Nov 1963, p. 40).
- Acquisition information:
- 435 cuneiform tablets were purchased in 1895 from the New York antiquities dealer, David Z. Noorian for Columbia by friends of the University, and 32 tablets were bought from Dikran Kelekian, December 1895, with funds from Mr. L.S. Bernheimer. These acquisitions were organized by Professor Richard Gottheil. In 1902, Professor John Dyneley Prince presented 18 tablets. In 1934, Professor David Eugene Smith donated 16 cuneiform tablets, and in 1936 George Arthur Plimpton gave 34, including the now famous mathematical tablet, Plimpton 322 (CULC 460). In 1959, the collection of 75 tablets belonging to Paul Monroe, Professor at Teachers College, was donated in his memory by his children, Jeanette Monroe Bassett and Ellis Monroe. There were also several small gifts: one tablet from Mr. Philip Coan, reported in Columbia Library Columns 8:2, Feb 1959, p. 35; two tablets from Dr. J.G. Phelps Stokes in 1960, four tablets in 1965 from Harry G. Friedman, two from Professor Lynn Thorndike in 1966, three from Professor Frances Henne in 1973, one tablet from Otto W. Fuhrman (undated gift), and a tablet transferred from the Art Properties in 2011. A cylinder seal in hematite was purchased in1962 (CU Columns 12:1, Nov 1962, p. 30); another was purchased with funds from Dallas Pratt Aubrey Cartwright (CU Columns 13:1, Nov 1963, p. 40).
- Custodial history:
435 cuneiform tablets were purchased in 1895 from the New York antiquities dealer, David Z. Noorian for Columbia by friends of the University, and 32 tablets were bought from Dikran Kelekian, December 1895, with funds from Mr. L.S. Bernheimer. These acquisitions were organized by Professor Richard Gottheil. In 1902, Professor John Dyneley Prince presented 18 tablets. In 1934, Professor David Eugene Smith donated 16 cuneiform tablets, and in 1936 George Arthur Plimpton gave 34, including the now famous mathematical tablet, Plimpton 322 (CULC 460). In 1959, the collection of 75 tablets belonging to Paul Monroe, Professor at Teachers College, was donated in his memory by his children, Jeanette Monroe Bassett and Ellis Monroe. There were also several small gifts: one tablet from Mr. Philip Coan, reported in Columbia Library Columns 8:2, Feb 1959, p. 35; two tablets from Dr. J.G. Phelps Stokes in 1960, four tablets in 1965 from Harry G. Friedman, two from Professor Lynn Thorndike in 1966, three from Professor Frances Henne in 1973, one tablet from Otto W. Fuhrman (undated gift), and a tablet transferred from the Art Properties in 2011. A cylinder seal in hematite was purchased in1962 (CU Columns 12:1, Nov 1962, p. 30); another was purchased with funds from Dallas Pratt & Aubrey Cartwright (CU Columns 13:1, Nov 1963, p. 40).
- Processing information:
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to determine when each tablet entered the collection, which has been reorganized a few times, most drastically in 1971, when Robert David Freedman made a catalog of the Ur III texts as a Master's Thesis at Columbia University.
In 1993, the collection, which had been housed in 46 boxes (the tablets either wrapped in tissue and kept in individual microfilm boxes, or just piled into boxes), was rehoused. The tablets were put in artifact cartons, retaining any old numbers or notes found on the old boxes or with the tablets, and retaining the earlier order. In 2011, needing to number the 300 or so previously unnumbered tablets because of the CDLI scanning, the decision was made to renumber the entire collection in one numerical sequence (the CULC numbers). While we attempted to keep items largely in the old order, some rearrangement was made to put like items together; for example, the F numbers. The casts and the non-inscribed objects were put at the end of the collection.
In 2011-2012, Columbia's tablets were added to the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI) in a collaboration funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Every tablet is described to a greater or lesser extent there, based on available data, including the text of the 2010 Garfinkle catalog; each tablet which was physically sound enough was scanned by someone from the CDLI. In 2018, in the process of creating this finding aid, boxes 30-33 were reordered to divide cleanly the ancient material from the modern casts, and the box of paper files collected together and described for the first time.
A concordance between the various publication numbers exists.
This collection was processed by Jane Rodgers Siegel in 2018, after being partially cataloged by Isaac Mendelsohn in 1943, reorganized by Robert Freedman in 1971, and rehoused by Anne Simms in 2000. Finding aid written by Jane Rodgers Siegel in May 2018.
- Arrangement:
This collection is arranged in 3 series.
- Accruals:
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed Terms
Access
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
This collection is located on-site.
CULC 460 (i.e., Plimpton 322) is viewable only by appointment. CULC 157 is labelled as moldy, and would only be viewable after consultation with the conservation department.
- TERMS OF ACCESS:
-
Single photocopies of paper materials may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Columbia University Cuneiform Collection; Box and Folder (if known); Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
- LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
-
6th Floor East Butler Library535 West 114th St.New York, NY 10027, United States
- CONTACT:
-
(212) 854-5590rbml@library.columbia.edu