Artifact overview
BM 78943 is an artifact (Clay Tablet) related to the mythological story named 'Epic of Atrahasis.' The artifact's condition is Just OK and it is currently located at The British Museum in London, United Kingdom, catalogued as record number BM 78943. The language of the text contained is Akkadian (Sumero-Akkadian Cuneiform writing system). Its estimated date is 1750—1650 BCE, which is a range based on available data and scholarship. The mythology associated with this artifact includes the Babylonian belief system and related deities: Atra-Hasīs, Enki, Enlil, and Ištar.
About this artifact
Basic details
| Type | Tablet Clay material |
| Condition | Just OK |
| Date created | 1750—1650 BCE |
| Language | Akkadian |
| Writing system | Sumero-Akkadian Cuneiform (script) |
| Joined artifacts help | BM 78941 |
| Location | The British Museum The British Museum · London, United Kingdom |
| Museum No. | BM 78943 |
Provenience
| Discovery | Sippar, Babylonia Present-day Sippar, Iraq |
Museum record data
The British Museum
The British Museum · London, United Kingdom
Item specifications
| Museum No. | BM 78943 |
Mythological contents
Babylonian Religion
The contents of this artifact may depict or reference the following myths and deities associated with this belief system.
Associated myths and deities
| Myths | Epic of Atrahasis |
| Deities | Atra-Hasīs, Enki, Enlil, Ištar |
Extended artifact data for BM 78943
See detailed information about this artifact from the entity that has access to it.
Location description
- The British Museum London, United Kingdom
Full address: The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG, United Kingdom
The first national public museum of the world. The British Museum is unique in bringing together under one roof the cultures of the world, spanning continents and oceans. No other museum is responsible for collections of the same depth and breadth, beauty and significance. Its eight million objects allow us to explore the extraordinary diversity of human cultures, from small communities to vast empires, to discover the many forms and expressions human beings have given to every aspect of life, and to realise how closely they are interconnected.
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Record numbers
| Museum No. | BM 78943 |
| Artifact access | By request |
Full artifact data
| Acquisition date | 1889 |
| Department | Middle East |
| Registration No. | 1889,0426.236 |
| Acquisition Name | Sir Ernest A T Wallis Budge |
| Materials | Clay |
| Object Type | Tablet |
| Dimensions | Length: 14.6 CM X Width: 12.7 CM |
| Condition | Incomplete; top half only |
| Notes |
|
Record notes
About these data
| Retrieval date | Jun. 5, 2020 |
| Copyright | The British Museum |
Render
See a rendering of the artifact in images, text, and other form factors. Where available, a translation is included.
Digital scan
OMNIKA Reader
Good news. This original artifact is digitized and available in the OMNIKA Library.
Full Translation
Akkadian ⟶ English a
| Source a Ipiq-Aya, "Atrahasis," 9-35. More info launch |
All texts
| Title |
|
|---|---|
| "Atrahasis": Composite English Translation by Stephanie M. Dalley |
|
Mythological contents
This artifact contains mythological contents associated with Babylonian Religion. The main narrative mentioned may be Epic of Atrahasis, a Creation myth. The deities depicted or mentioned in the artifact may be: Atra-Hasīs. Enki. Enlil. Ištar.
Parent belief system
- Babylonian Religion · PolytheisticHeads up. This Religion belongs to the Mesopotamian collection on the basis of shared myths and deities.
The Babylonian religion was practiced throughout modern-day Iraq and the general near east (Mesopotamia) during antiquity. Its chief deity was Marduk.
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Associated myth
Epic of Atrahasis Creation myth
Deities depicted
Artifact condition
The artifact named 'BM 78943' is appraised as being in Just OK condition based on how much reliance is placed on other resources to make it complete and readable.
| Condition | Excellent | Just OK | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  | |
| Completeness | More than 80% | 50 - 80% | Less than 50% |
| Fragmentation | Minor | Moderate | Significant |
| Damage | Minor | Moderate | Significant |
| Legibility | Highly readable | Somewhat readable | Unintelligible |
What's a 'joined' artifact?
A joined artifact is one that was originally part of the other and was broken or fragmented at some point in time. Joins are common among clay tablets because they may get broken during discovery and transportation. The join is notated with the + sign. For example, if tablets A000 and Z999 are joined, we would express this relationship by grouping them as A000 + Z999 to indicate they are related.
If the fragments are owned, maintained, and cataloged by separate museums then classifying the join relationship is critical for accurate translations.
Cite this page
OMNIKA Foundation Contributors. "BM 78943: Atrahasis Tablet (top)." OMNIKA – World Mythology Index, OMNIKA Foundation, 14 Apr. 2019, omnika.org/stable/65. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
OMNIKA (2019, April 14). BM 78943: Atrahasis Tablet (top). Retrieved from https://omnika.org/stable/65
OMNIKA Foundation Contributors. "BM 78943: Atrahasis Tablet (top)." Las Vegas, NV: OMNIKA Foundation. Created April 14, 2019. Accessed March 9, 2026. https://omnika.org/stable/65.
