Cuneiform Tablets as Rare Books: 21st Century Acquisitions in Library Special Collections (20 min)

Presenters

Sara Mohr, Hamilton College

Abstract

Since as early as the mid-nineteenth century, cuneiform objects have found their way into college and university collections via missionaries, private donors, faculty members, and direct purchases. The “Where Is the Cuneiform?” project has identified 232 active collections in the United States. More often than not, cuneiform tablets in academic collections are housed among rare books rather than other antiquities, in spite of the continued debates over the position and inclusion of the cuneiform tablet in traditional book history. Further, while more and more museums, campus museums included, are reexamining their acquisition practices present and future, special collections departments have continued to purchase cuneiform objects from auction houses, galleries, and rare book sellers as recently as 2021. This continued practice directly contradicts expert warnings of encouraging illicit sales of antiquities through continued legal sales, and signals an alarming pattern of disregard. It appears that in the particular context of library special collections cuneiform tablets are operating as and being interacted with more like rare books than as antiquities. This paper explores how this interaction has defined collections of cuneiform objects on college and university campuses across the United States, and how its continued practice raises legal and ethical questions. It will also discuss the “Where Is the Cuneiform?” project more broadly and the utility of the online tool for further research.