This is my rendition of a famous Old Babylonian Akkadian letter detailing grievances against the Ur merchant Ea-Nasir written by an individual named Nanni. Alongside of it on the right is the ancient original, four at the city of Ur and currently in the British Museum (photo credit the British Museum). Ea-nasir was active in the overseas trade of copper with the inhabitants of the island of Dilmun (modern Bahrain) in the Persian Gulf. Today the letter has acquired a bit of a cultic following as a timeless encapsulation of customer dissatisfaction. Nanni’s disbelief towards Ea-Nasir’s contempt for his messengers and his willingness to send him poor quality copper ingots elicits the memorable question “Who do you take me for, that you would treat me so contemptuously?” #unexpectedart #whatsoldisnew #antiquedecoration #texture #customerservice #atlasobscura #instaceramica #cuneiform
