By Adiel Kaplan
A clay nail from Mesopotamia of 2,500-2,340 BCE. The top half is covered all the way around with cuneiform writing in the Sumerian language. According to the catalogue of Columbia University’s cuneiform collection, it was considered a royal or monumental artifact, likely from the province Girsu. Dates were given at that time by the reign of ruler; this one references King Entemena.