A Middle Assyrian juridical text on a tablet with Handle

Abstract

The present article offers an edition of the cuneiform tablet BM 103395 from the British Museum in London, which has been published only in a copy so far. This document is a so called amulet shaped or formed tablet, which contains a Middle Assyrian administrative text. In this article, it is sustained that the very damaged record is probably an inheritance division. The physical features of the artifact allow that it was hung, therefore displayed and made visible. The format and function of the tablet are also discussed and another designation, concerning such artifact, “tablet with handle” is proposed. Furthermore, evidence from the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin, for this kind of tablets, will be discussed.