Forensic Research Archive of Manipulation and Exploitation

Collection

Clay cylinder with the Ehulhul inscription of Nabonidus, king of Babylon, describing work on three temples

Clay cylinder with the Ehulhul inscription of Nabonidus, king of Babylon, describing work on three temples

A broken clay barrel cylinder closely written in cuneiform, a foundation-deposit type of royal building text. The king's own account presents his temple work as service to the gods, which is the Babylonian side of the text contrast with the Persian-side Cyrus Cylinder.

Date
0000
Period
Pre-1914
Made by
Royal court of Nabonidus, king of Babylon
Region
Middle East and North Africa
Country
Neo Babylonian Empire
Medium
Object
Issuer type
State
Regime
Neo Babylonian Empire
Leader
Nabonidus
Audience
Mixed
Purpose
Commemorate
Theme
Religion
Techniques
Transfer
Regime
Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian empires
Leader
Ashurnasirpal II
Source
Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
Source
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Open Access), retrieved October 2, 2026
Rights
Public domain (The Met Open Access, CC0; isPublicDomain true in the Met API; object about 2,500 years old)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, 1886 (86.11.281), Open Access

Text on the object

Original (Akkadian (Neo-Babylonian cuneiform)) · read from the image, not independently checked

[illegible: the cuneiform on this cylinder was not transcribed in this entry]

English translation (machine translation by Claude, not verified by a fluent reader)

Not translated: the text was not read in this entry.

No signs were read from the image; the Met's title is the only identification of the text.

Using the same techniques

Fragments of the Abydos king list from Ramesses II's temple, in the British Museum: rows of royal cartouchesNew Kingdom EgyptFragments of the Abydos king list from Ramesses II's temple, in the British Museum: rows of royal cartouches0000 · Card stacking, TransferSeated limestone statue of Hatshepsut as king, with feminine royal titles on the throne, reassembled from fragments broken up at Deir el-BahriNew Kingdom EgyptSeated limestone statue of Hatshepsut as king, with feminine royal titles on the throne, reassembled from fragments broken up at Deir el-Bahri0000 · Transfer, TestimonialGlazed-brick panel with a striding lion, from Babylon (reign of Nebuchadnezzar II)Neo Babylonian EmpireGlazed-brick panel with a striding lion, from Babylon (reign of Nebuchadnezzar II)0000 · TransferLimestone relief block of Ramesses II wearing the White Crown, a jubilee relief from his temple at HerakleopolisNew Kingdom EgyptLimestone relief block of Ramesses II wearing the White Crown, a jubilee relief from his temple at Herakleopolis0000 · TransferLine drawing of the Great Kadesh battle relief on the walls of the Ramesseum, from Breasted's History of EgyptNew Kingdom EgyptLine drawing of the Great Kadesh battle relief on the walls of the Ramesseum, from Breasted's History of Egypt0000 · Card stacking, TransferContent noteGypsum alabaster slab inscribed in cuneiform, from Nimrud (Kalhu), reign of Ashurnasirpal IINeo Assyrian EmpireGypsum alabaster slab inscribed in cuneiform, from Nimrud (Kalhu), reign of Ashurnasirpal II0000 · Transfer, Glittering generalitiesEgyptian alabaster jar inscribed with the name of Xerxes the Great in four languages (Old Persian, Elamite, Babylonian, Egyptian), 486 to 466 BCEAchaemenid EmpireEgyptian alabaster jar inscribed with the name of Xerxes the Great in four languages (Old Persian, Elamite, Babylonian, Egyptian), 486 to 466 BCE0000 · TransferBronze sestertius of Gaius (Caligula), reverse S P Q R P P OB CIVES SERVATOS in an oak wreathRoman EmpireBronze sestertius of Gaius (Caligula), reverse S P Q R P P OB CIVES SERVATOS in an oak wreath0037 · Testimonial, Transfer