it likely wasn’t chisel, right? it was probably soft clay and a sharp instrument was used to carve the symbols.

god can’t believe i’m about to do this, but here goes…

shoves glasses up nose

akthually

cuneiform is a clay writing system. the tablets would have been written rather quickly using a sharpened reed called a stylus. the clay tablet would then be left to harden in the sun before transport. it’s still pretty labor intensive, but nowhere near taking a chisel to stone

They actually just pressed reeds into soft clay, then fired the tablet in a kiln. It probably took the same amount of time to write that as with any modern writing implements

Were these stone? I was under the impression that these tablets were soft clay when first scribed and hardened either through a firing process or just over centuries of sitting around.

I’ve also seen videos of the guys scribing in Cuneiform, it looks like it could be done relatively quickly.

that’s cuneiform, actually. it isn’t chiselled into stone, but rather, is pressed into wet clay with a stylus. the more you know!

Now I wanna know what it says exactly.

!reallyshittycopper@lemmy.world

Is there like an actual translation, rather than a summary?

Urm, actually… These glyphs were pressed into wet clay and then fired.

Much like Ea-nāşir should have been.

Wouldn’t it have been soft when being written?

Tell Ea-nasir: Nanni sends the following message:

When you came, you said to me as follows : “I will give Gimil-Sin (when he comes) fine quality copper ingots.” You left then but you did not do what you promised me. You put ingots which were not good before my messenger (Sit-Sin) and said: “If you want to take them, take them; if you do not want to take them, go away!”

What do you take me for, that you treat somebody like me with such contempt? I have sent as messengers gentlemen like ourselves to collect the bag with my money (deposited with you) but you have treated me with contempt by sending them back to me empty-handed several times, and that through enemy territory. Is there anyone among the merchants who trade with Telmun who has treated me in this way? You alone treat my messenger with contempt! On account of that one (trifling) mina of silver which I owe(?) you, you feel free to speak in such a way, while I have given to the palace on your behalf 1,080 pounds of copper, and umi-abum has likewise given 1,080 pounds of copper, apart from what we both have had written on a sealed tablet to be kept in the temple of Samas.

How have you treated me for that copper? You have withheld my money bag from me in enemy territory; it is now up to you to restore (my money) to me in full.

Take cognizance that (from now on) I will not accept here any copper from you that is not of fine quality. I shall (from now on) select and take the ingots individually in my own yard, and I shall exercise against you my right of rejection because you have treated me with contempt.

Relatable

I love how everyone goes “it wasn’t chiselled!” and my first thought is, someone probably wrote this for them/recorded it for the court (or ancient equivalent) is the actual issue with the post!