Near Eastern Clay Accounting Tokens
Small shaped clay counters used in the prehistoric Near East for finance and accounting records of goods before the emergence of cuneiform writing.
Core metadata
- ID: clay_accounting_tokens
- Era: Ancient
- First known date: -7500 (millennium)
- Region: Prehistoric Near East, especially sites from Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Iraq, and Iran
- Review status: source_checked
- Maturity: N/A
Prerequisites
Dependents
Fields
Field lanes
- Finance & Markets: Money & Accounting
Node sources
- The token system of the ancient Near East: Its role in counting, writing, the economy and cognition (Cambridge University Press, 2010, textbook) • Supports: node, maturity
- From Accounting to Writing (Denise Schmandt-Besserat / University of Texas at Austin, 2015, review) • Supports: node, maturity
- Reconsidering 'Tokens': The Neolithic Origins of Accounting or Multifunctional, Utilitarian Tools? (Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 2019, primary_paper) • Supports: node
Prerequisite edge evidence
Edge/source evidence summary:
- Prerequisite edges: 1
- Average edge confidence: 86%
- Prerequisite sources: 1
- textbook: 1
| Prerequisite | Type | Confidence | Evidence level | Note | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay Gathering and Preparation (clay_gathering_and_preparation) | required | 86% | textbook | The scoped counters are shaped clay tokens; prepared clay is the direct material prerequisite, while fired pottery vessel production is not required. |
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