Artifact Type: cone History

Cones were conical objects with a tapered end made from baked clay that bore building inscriptions or dedicatory texts. Cones can closely resemble clay nails, the latter of which typically has a more distinct head than a cone. Examples from the third millennium include the Early Dynastic IIIb cones of Enmetena and the cones of Gudea, both from Girsu (modern Tello). During the Old Babylonian period, the ‘headless’ cone continues to be found in foundation deposits, while the clay ‘nail’ which now has a broader head is found built into the walls of buildings. During this period a copy of the inscription on the shaft can be found on the ends of both cones and nails. Inscribed nails were also used in the Neo-Assyrian period. For other clay objects found in foundation deposits, see the categories of ‘Cylinder’, ‘Prism’, and ‘Tablet’ respectively. For foundation pegs, see the ‘Figure’ category.

Translations
Name Language
مخروط، كوزي Arabic

Children Artifact Types

Related Artifacts

There are 6018 artifacts related to cone
Click here to view the artifacts

Cite this Artifact Type

CDLI contributors. 2026. “Cone - Artifact Types.” Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. February 4, 2026. https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/9.
CDLI contributors. (2026, February 4). cone - Artifact Types. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/9
CDLI contributors (2026) cone - Artifact Types, Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. Available at: https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/9 (Accessed: February 4, 2026).
@misc{CDLI2026cone,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-02-04]},
	author = {{CDLI contributors}},
	year = {2026},
	month = {feb 4},
	title = {cone - {Artifact} {Types}},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/9},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/9},
}

TY  - ELEC
AU  - CDLI contributors
DA  - 2026/2/4/
PY  - 2026
ID  - temp_id_633867936318
M1  - 2026/2/4/
TI  - cone - Artifact Types
UR  - https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/9
ER  - 

Cite this Artifact Type

CDLI contributors. 2026. “Cone - Artifact Types.” Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. February 4, 2026. https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/9.
CDLI contributors. (2026, February 4). cone - Artifact Types. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/9
CDLI contributors (2026) cone - Artifact Types, Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. Available at: https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/9 (Accessed: February 4, 2026).
@misc{CDLI2026cone,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-02-04]},
	author = {{CDLI contributors}},
	year = {2026},
	month = {feb 4},
	title = {cone - {Artifact} {Types}},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/9},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/9},
}

TY  - ELEC
AU  - CDLI contributors
DA  - 2026/2/4/
PY  - 2026
ID  - temp_id_493206713407
M1  - 2026/2/4/
TI  - cone - Artifact Types
UR  - https://cdli.earth/artifact-types/9
ER  - 
This website uses essential cookies that are necessary for it to work properly. These cookies are enabled by default.