Uruk Period, c.55th-31st century BC. A sealed spherical clay bulla envelope containing clay tokens which can be heard rattling inside; impressed medial 'chain link' motif and raised-relief zoomorphic designs to the body. 144 grams, 61mm (2 1/2"). Part of a specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1992, thence by descent to family members; examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s; this small collection is exceptional for the variety of types, including some very rare and well preserved examples; accompanied by an extensive old illustrated cataloguing page. It is believed that there are less than 250, complete and fragmentary, examples of this type of bulla envelope worldwide. The bulla first emerged in Mesopotamia around 8000 BC. The clay envelopes contain a number of pre-baked accounting tokens, which were used in commercial and stock-taking transactions. Placing the tokens inside the bulla greatly enhanced the honesty of the transaction, as the bulla would have to be broken or crushed to reveal its contents. However, the epigraphic and pictorial motifs on the bullae of the Uruk period indicate a possible administrative function. Some scholars also believe that such bullae were the inspiration for the emergence of cuneiform, with the concept of using clay tokens in accounting being the acknowledged origin of the earliest cuneiform scripts. Condition Report Fine condition. Extremely rare.