Archeologists from Turkey discovered a 3,500-year-old tablet, which they later deciphered to be a shopping list, officials said.
Mehmet Ersoy, Turkey’s Minister of Culture and Tourism announced the finding in a statement translated into English, Live Science reported Wednesday. The ancient shopping list is inscribed with “a large amount of furniture shopping,” according to the statement.
“We believe that this tablet, weighing 28 grams, will provide a new perspective in terms of understanding the economic structure and state system of the Late Bronze Age,” Ersoy said.
The list supposedly details the purchasing of wooden chairs, tables and stools, according to Live Science. (RELATED: Explorers Discover Rare Ancient Roman Treasures).
3,500-year-old tablet in Turkey turns out to be a shopping list https://t.co/IcLZFtjy4k
— Live Science (@LiveScience) July 31, 2024
The tablet was discovered during restoration work in the old city of Alalakh in the Hatay Province following an earthquake in the area, officials said. The finding sheds light on Akkadian cuneiform writing, a “Semitic language” used in Mesopotamia, now modern-day Syria and Iraq, between the years of 2,800 BC and 500 AD, according to Omniglot.
Archeologists believe this particular shopping list dates back to the 15th Century BC. It measures to be roughly 1.6 inches long and half an inch thick.
Alalakh is now as an archeological site near present-day Antakya in the southern region of Turkey, Live Science reported. In the second millennium B.C., the old city served as the capital of the Kingdom of Mukish, the outlet reported.
During the 15th century, which is when the tablet was believed to be from, Alalakh belonged to the Mittani Empire, the outlet added. The area was reportedly known for its glass, metal and pottery. In 1350 B.C.E., the Mittani Empire “was powerful enough to be included in the Great Powers Club along with Egypt, the Kingdom of the Hatti, Babylonia, and Assyria,” according to the World History Encyclopedia.
