bulla - Artifact Types - Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative

Artifact Type: bulla History

A bulla is a ball of clay that encased a number of tokens—small clay objects that represented a number, measure, or unit. The outer surface of the bulla could be impressed with signs and seals, the latter serving to authenticate the numerical information within and on the bulla. Sealed bullae are attested from the second half of the fourth millennium BCE. Bullae as an object type are significant because they represent early examples of numeracy and accounting methods. For individual tokens of various shapes, see the ‘Small Finds’ category.

Translations

Name	Language
نص مسماري كروي مجوف	Arabic

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Cite this Artifact Type

CDLI contributors. 2026. “Bulla - Artifact Types.” Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. October 14, 2026. https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/6.

CDLI contributors. (2026, October 14). bulla - Artifact Types. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/6

CDLI contributors (2026) bulla - Artifact Types, Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. Available at: https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/6 (Accessed: October 14, 2026).

@misc{CDLI2026bulla,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-10-14]},
	author = {{CDLI contributors}},
	year = {2026},
	month = {oct 14},
	title = {bulla - {Artifact} {Types}},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/6},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/6},
}

TY  - ELEC
AU  - CDLI contributors
DA  - 2026/10/14/
PY  - 2026
ID  - temp_id_748330459616
M1  - 2026/10/14/
TI  - bulla - Artifact Types
UR  - https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/6
ER  -

Cite this Artifact Type

CDLI contributors. 2026. “Bulla - Artifact Types.” Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. October 14, 2026. https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/6.

CDLI contributors. (2026, October 14). bulla - Artifact Types. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/6

CDLI contributors (2026) bulla - Artifact Types, Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. Available at: https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/6 (Accessed: October 14, 2026).

@misc{CDLI2026bulla,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-10-14]},
	author = {{CDLI contributors}},
	year = {2026},
	month = {oct 14},
	title = {bulla - {Artifact} {Types}},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/6},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/6},
}

TY  - ELEC
AU  - CDLI contributors
DA  - 2026/10/14/
PY  - 2026
ID  - temp_id_309854829018
M1  - 2026/10/14/
TI  - bulla - Artifact Types
UR  - https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/6
ER  -