A small clay tablet keeps bad news for a merchant: his customer is not satisfied. Around 1750 BCE, Nanni made a claim to Ea-Nasir concerning copper. The object is less than twelve centimeters high, but it carries a disagreement that centuries have not erased.
According to the British Museum, Nanni blames the delivery of copper of inadequate quality after a trip to the Gulf. He also said there were problems with another delivery. The text is drawn in cuneiform script. Found in Ur during the excavations of Leonard Woolley, the tablet belongs to a specific commercial context.
It would be tempting to tell the merchant’s answer or imagine a spectacular refund. The preserved room does not provide this outcome. Yet it is enough to bring this world closer to ours: behind the exchanges of raw materials, people checked the goods and protested when it did not meet their expectations.
What we know
The notice documents a complaint, not its resolution.
To go to the source
References consulted on September 21, 2026. Linked pages may be in another language.
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