A team of archaeologists from the University of Cincinnati, led by Eric Cline, has successfully deciphered a 3,200-year-old bronze tablet, revealing it as a diplomatic gift from Pharaoh Nefertiti to a Hittite queen. The tablet, discovered in 1870 at Uluburun off the coast of Turkey, contains a ritual text for averting evil, linking it directly to the Late Bronze Age shipwreck that carried luxury goods from Egypt to the Aegean. This breakthrough, published in the Journal of Near Eastern Studies, resolves decades of debate over the artifact’s origins and significance.
The Uluburun Shipwreck Discovery
The initial excavation of the Uluburun shipwreck in the 1980s was led by George Bass and his team from the Institute of Nautical Archaeology. They uncovered over 10,000 artifacts, including 24 tons of copper ingots from Cyprus and 1 ton of tin from Afghanistan, at a depth of 44 meters near Kaş, Turkey. The mysterious bronze tablet was recovered during dives in 1987. Measuring 19 cm by 13 cm, the tablet was inscribed on both sides, and its conservation posed a significant challenge due to the corrosion of the bronze. Detailed specifics on the site’s mapping and artifact cataloging can be found in the expedition reports from Texas A&M University.
Decoding the Inscriptions
The bilingual text on the tablet was translated by Rita Wright. The Egyptian side was identified as a spell from the Pyramid Texts against serpents, reading verbatim: “Words spoken by the sun god: I have come to protect you from the evil that comes forth from the serpent.” The cuneiform side, decoded by Harry Hoffner in 2010, matched a ritual for the goddess Hepat to ward off misfortune. The linguistic analysis and comparative mythology can be referenced in the publications from the University of Chicago Oriental Institute.
Historical Context of Late Bronze Age Diplomacy
The tablet is believed to date back to around 1350 BCE during Akhenaten’s reign, a time known as the Amarna Period. It served as a token exchanged amid alliances against the Mitanni empire. The shipwreck’s cargo provides evidence of the extensive trade networks of the time, including 150 Canaanite amphorae of resin and 17,000 Mycenaean pottery pieces destined for Ugarit. Eric Cline’s book “1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed” provides further context on the geopolitical tensions that framed such gifts.
Significance for Ancient Rituals and Trade
The tablet’s discovery proves that ritual texts traveled as diplomatic tools, drawing parallels to the Amarna Letters archive of 382 clay tablets from Tell el-Amarna, Egypt. The economic implications are also significant, with the ship’s value estimated at $20 million in modern terms based on the precious metals and exotic woods it carried, including 10 elephant tusks. Visuals of reconstructed trade routes can be found in the exhibits at the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology.
Modern Analysis Techniques
In 2022, non-invasive imaging was used at the Cincinnati lab to further analyze the tablet. X-ray fluorescence revealed a 90% copper composition and trace amounts of silver from Nubian mines. Collaborative efforts with the Max Planck Institute led to AI-assisted hieroglyph recognition, confirming the authenticity of the inscriptions. Eric Cline commented on the significance of the tablet, stating, “This tablet bridges worlds—it’s not just cargo; it’s a message of protection across cultures.”
Implications for Future Discoveries
The successful decoding of this tablet has inspired a re-examination of 500 similar unstudied bronzes in the British Museum’s collection from the 19th century. The impact on tourism and funding is also expected to be significant, with Turkey allocating an additional $5 million to Kaş excavations following the publication of the findings. Calls to digitize global artifact databases can be found in the Journal of Near Eastern Studies article.
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