Mesopotamian relics to be display at National Museum of Korea

The National Museum of Korea in Yongsan, Seoul, will hold a special exhibition titled “Mesopotamia: Great Cultural Innovations” on the third floor of the permanent exhibition hall from July 22 to January 28, 2024. The exhibition jointly planned with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the U.S. will showcase 66 relics, including clay cuneiform tablets, seals, and paintings of the Mesopotamian civilization.

Thirteen clay cuneiform tablets of the Mesopotamian civilization, which used hieroglyphics for the first time in human history describe life during that time in detail. A small 6.85-centimeter-by-4.5-centimeter clay tablet is a book of a temple in charge of the municipal administration of Mesopotamia in 3100 B.C.

Records on the clay tablet read that grains, including barley and malt, were loaned to a beer manufacturer, which confirm‎s that beer is a cultural heritage of humankind going back to ancient times. The Mesopotamian relics of record, including educational materials for multiplication and prescriptions for patients, show the human wisdom of ancient times. Admission to the exhibition is free.


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