The first forms of ration cards in documented history
In the picture are the first forms of ration cards in documented history. They were issued during the reign of the Egyptian King (Amenemhat III), approximately four thousand years ago. These cards were the first of their kind in the world, given to Egyptian army soldiers working in various military sites and fortresses. They were made of Wood and took the round shape identical to the loaves of Egyptian bread that is still widespread in Egypt to this day.
These ration cards were found in one of the forts built by the Egyptian warrior king (Senusret III) south of the Second Cataract.
The soldiers (as written on the cards) obtained their allowances and rations with the help of these cards, which were engraved with hieroglyphs, the amount of bread that the owner of the card was entitled to receive every ten days.
The cards date back to the era of the Middle Egyptian Empire, the Twelfth Dynasty, the reign of King Amenemhat III, 1850 BC.
Material: Wood, Boston Museum of Fine Arts
Source:
The Scepter of Egypt, Volume I: From the Earliest Times to the End of the Middle Kingdom, William Hayes.
2- Food and holidays. In Middle Kingdom Egypt, Adela Oppenheim