# "Foundation Nail" of Gudea

- Date: c. 2100 BCE
- Medium: copper alloy, lost-wax cast
- Classification: Sculpture
- Dimensions: Overall: 17.5 x 4.5 x 7.3 cm (6 7/8 x 1 3/4 x 2 7/8 in.); with base: 20.9 x 6.3 x 9.1 cm (8 1/4 x 2 1/2 x 3 9/16 in.)
- Culture: Mesopotamia, Neo-Sumerian, Iraq, probably Lagash
- Credit line: John L. Severance Fund
- Museum: [Cleveland Museum of Art](https://clevelandart.org/art/1990.31)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1990.31/1990.31_web.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

The ruler Gudea placed one of these special nails in every temple he built in order to commemorate it.