Neo-Babylonian clay cylinder which records the rebuilding of Sin’s ziggurat at the city of Ur by Nabonidus who entreats the moon-god to guard both him and his son, Belshazzar, from wrong-doing. Circa 539-536 BC
Babylonian, 18th-17th century BCE (Old Babylonian)
This model represents a chariot protected by a front shield. The interior of the shield has been stamped with the image of a worshiper standing before a god wearing a tall, horned headdress. He holds a rod and ring in one hand, measuring instruments associated with divine justice. The elongated figures resemble depictions of deities on cylinder seals from the period.
Writing Cuneiform. A skilled scribe could make imprints into clay extremely fast, almost machine-like, and with clay being an easily accessible material with no need for ink, Cuneiform was a practical writing method for over 3000 years.