The artefact is believed to date back to the 15th century BC.
It was discovered after restoration works were carried out, following two earthquakes in Old Alalah City, located in Hatay’s Reyhanli district, Türkiye.
The tablet is said to be roughly 3,500 years old and contains writing from the Akkadian cuneiform era, reports What’s The Jam.
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According to the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Ersoy, it contains records of a shopping list; for a large amount of furniture purchases, including wooden tables, chairs and stools.
While the earthquakes took place in February 2023, the findings weren’t announced until Monday 22 July 2024.
John Hopkins, a university faculty member and associate doctor, worked with Jacob Lauinger and alongside his doctoral student, Zeynep Türker.
According to their measurements, the tablet is up to 4.2cm thick and weighs 28g.
It’s hoped this will shed new light on the economic structure and state system of the Late Bronze Age, and bring forward its “rich” heritage to future generations.
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Currently, it’s still being studied to decipher the number of items bought, and who purchased the items, or to whom they were gifted to.
It’s not the first time a mysterious tablet has been found in the country.
In May 2023, Kimiyoshi Matsumura, an archeologist at the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology, discovered one that dates back to 3,300 years.
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The clay artefact detailed a “lost” language, which described a catastrophic ancient “disaster” that allegedly struck four cities.
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