The collection consists of 215 cuneiform tablets, the majority of which were written by students in ancient Mesopotamian schools. Tablet subjects include writing composition and language, mathematics, science, law, and religion. The chronological range of the tablets extends from the Uruk Period (c. 3200 BCE) to the Old Babylonian period (c. 1800-1600 BCE).

Lloyd E. Cotsen (1929-2017) was a former chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Neutrogena Corporation. Cotsen earned a bachelor's degree in History from Princeton University (1950), served in Navy during the Korean War, and received an MBA from Harvard Business School (1957). He was an avid collector of materials related to folk art, children's literature, and archeology, and accumulated vast collections of Japanese baskets, textiles, children's books, and Chinese mirrors. Over his lifetime he donated portions of his collections to a varity of insitutions, including San Fransico's Asian Art Museum, Princeton Univeristy, and the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 2000 UCLA renamed its Institute of Archaeology the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology.

20.6 linear feet (206 custom boxes)

Property rights to the objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.