It is the first time in history that someone has kept a check for so long.
In Turkey, archaeologists have made a unique discovery — a clay tablet with cuneiform writing that may turn out to be one of the oldest sales receipts in the world. The document, created about 3500 years ago, contains a record of the purchase of a large amount of wooden furniture.
The tablet was found in the south of Turkey, in the Hatay province, on the territory of the ancient city of Alalah (modern name — Eski-Alalah). Interestingly, archaeologists came across the artifact during restoration work after the earthquake.
Cuneiform is the oldest known writing system, invented about 5,500 years ago, and used in Mesopotamia for three millennia. Texts were created by pressing reed sticks into wet clay. This writing system was used by the Babylonians, Assyrians, and Sumerians.
According to by Mehmet Ersoy, Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, the text on the plaque is written in Akkadian, the lingua franca of the world’s oldest empire. The first lines of the document contain information about the sale and purchase of a large number of chairs, tables, and stools, as well as information about buyers and sellers.
«We believe that this 28-gram plate will provide new insights into the economic structure and government of the Late Bronze Age,» Ersoy said.
Interestingly, this is not the first household find written in Akkadian. In 2018, researchers found a similar clay tablet with a complaint from a dissatisfied customer about the quality of the copper they purchased.
Deciphering cuneiform may become easier thanks to the development of an artificial intelligence system capable of translating Akkadian and related languages with 97% accuracy. However, interpreting the content is still a challenge for scientists.
Source: Iflscience