Back to top: Glyptics
Seals and sealings (Federico Buccellati)
Back to top: Glyptics
Cylinder Seals
A frit cylinder seal (J1.33, see Fig. 36.a) found this season depicts a bearded figure with a pointed hat wearing a long garment bordered at the edge of the sleeve (the lower hem is not preserved). He is facing right in front of a tree that separates him from two lions. The lions are facing each other and are represented on their haunches with tails raised behind. Unusual in this scene is the fact that the front legs of the lions are raised and joined in a gesture that appears more like a patterned non-aggressive activity rather than a combat. The style emphasizes the drill holes, especially in the representation of the tree and the head of the left lion. The iconography and style date the seal to the Mittani period.
Z1.555 is a complete seal found during a cleaning of the palace area. The seal is complete, but badly worn, so that the impression is not a clear one. The iconography includes five elements, all figures. The first is a human figure with both hands raised. The figure seems to be looking right, with legs splayed. Both hands are raised, and may be interacting with the second element. The second element is an animal, raised on its hind legs. It faces left, towards the first element. It seems to be interacting with the human figure, but this is unclear due to the preservation of the seal. The third element is also an animal, facing in the same direction as the second element. This figure is placed quite close to the second element, and seems almost to be resting on its back. To the right of this animal is the fourth element, a human figure. This figure is wearing a belt. The person is facing left, with both hands clasped at the waist. The fifth and final figure is an animal facing right, with the head turned back towards the fourth figure. This animal is also rampant. The subject of the seal seems to be an Akkadian style contest scene involving two humans. However, it is possible that the two figures are a bull-man and a nude hero.
J1.133 is broken at the base. The impression has four elements. First, a human figure with a very stylized head. The figure has a cap on, and a dress with what seems to be a fringe over the left arm. The right arm has the hand at the waist and the elbow away from the body. The dress seems to be open under the left elbow of the figure, portrayed by a vertical line. The second element is a stylized tree: five round balls at the end of short stems coming from a central ball which rests on a long trunk. The third and fourth figures are rampant lions which are facing each other and touching forepaws. These two do not seem to be fighting. The jaws of both are open. The date of the seal is Mittani.
J1.40 (Fig. 36b) is a seal with the complete impression preserved. There are six elements in the iconography of this seal. The first and second elements are animals, the first on top of the second. The animals are quadrupeds which seem to have wings. They both face the third element. The third figure is a standing deity, wearing a skirt which is shown as a cluster of points. The figure has two objects coming out of the shoulders, and seems to be displayed en face. The fourth and fifth elements are two animals similar to the first and second. These animals also face the third element, the deity, mirroring the first and second. The sixth and last element is also a human figure, standing and looking to the left. This figure is holding what seems to be an ax in its right hand. The seal can be dated to the second quarter of the second millennium.
J1.39 is a complete seal, showing two animals. The first is a standing animal with four legs visible. The head looks to the right, with an extremely exaggerated mouth. The animal has a tail and an elongated skull. The second element is another animal, perhaps an animal in flight, as no legs are visible. The animal is facing right. The date of this seal is uncertain.
Back to top: Glyptics
Late Chalcolithic Cylinder Seal Impressions
Back to top: Glyptics
Impressions from seal n1
J3.15.1 (Fig. 37c) is a seal impression with an amorphous reverse with 2 possible small leather knot impressions and one short thin leather strap impression. On the surface of the reverse may be fragmentary impressions of a fine cloth. The impression has exterior and 2 interior crossed “ribbons” each with outside edges raised and a narrow central depression. These interwoven elements found on seal impressions elsewhere are identified as snakes because of the heads, when indicated. Our impressions do not have these heads but, as they are incomplete, we are not certain of the identification.
Back to top: Glyptics
Impressions from seal n2
J3q328.5 (Fig. 37a) is a seal impression, of which part of one end is complete and rounded so the object originally was approximately round in shape. The reverse has a small part of a peg impression and below it at a slight angle, is a deep clear impression but with smooth sides so can be identified as a leather impression. Above the peg impression, on top of the sealing are 2 shorter impressions, also with smooth edges, framing the top of the peg. From their relative angles with respect to each other they may have been 2 interwoven pieces of leather. The impression bears a fragment of interwoven pattern of 2 ribbons (?) that are each composed of 2 parallel lines in higher relief with a central depression.
J3.17 is triangular in section with the central portion thicker and gradually becoming thinner toward the exterior edge that is a portion of a circle. The seal impression is rolled parallel to the increasing thickness of the object, and at one end is rolled off the thinnest edge of the object. Neither peg nor cloth impressions are evident The impression shows overlapping “ribbons” in a criss-cross pattern. Possibly a braided pattern with four “ribbons”. Only the center portion is visible, with two overlapping junctures evident.
J3.15.3 has an impression with only one side which remains unbroken. This side has a very rough surface, as if there were no impression at all, or the object making the impression was very rough. On the reverse there is an impression of a cord, perhaps a leather knot, which is perpendicular to the rough side of the impression. The impression seems to have one border visible. The impression shows a fragment of overlapping “ribbon” impression. Three points of overlapping visible. where the “ribbons” cross at nearly right angles. The surface of the “ribbons” are composed of two parallel raised ridges with an indentation between them. Ridges and indentation are parallel to the edge of the ribbon and with even thickness over the whole ribbon.
J3q328.4 has two rollings of the same seal. The reverse seems to show a door sealing, with impressions of the door, the peg and the cord. The reverse shows signs of secondary firing. The main impression has the top border of the seal preserved; the lower border is not preserved, but only very little is missing. This impression shows that the ‘ribbons’ of the pattern are four in number, in a superimposed sinusoidal pattern. At four points in the middle of the seal impression the ribbons overlap. In the second impression only a small portion is visible along the top of the seal impression.
J3.15.2 has a very small portion of a seal impression. On the obverse are several fin-gerprints. The reverse has a very clear impression of what was sealed, probably a basket. This object shows only a very small fragment of a seal impression, showing two overlap-ping ‘ribbons’.
Back to top: Glyptics
Impressions from seal n3
J3.19 (Fig. 37d) is broken on all sides, and even the reverse seems not to bear any impressions but to be broken. The material seems to have been secondarily fired, due to its weight proportional to the size and the strength of the object. The upper border of the impression is visible, but is broken below. The impression consists of two elements: a human figure and a cross-hatched pattern in a half circle. The figure has an elongated head, exaggerated in the horizontal. The shoulders and hips are visible, while the waist does not leave an impression. To the left of the head is a jagged line which may or may not be part of the seal. The cross-hatch impression is in an elongated half-circle with the flattened portion of the circle pointing up. The lines of the cross hatch are parallel and perpendicular to the border of the seal impression. The cross-hatch pattern seem to have a shaft below, as if the whole was a standard. This shaft is being held by the figure.
J3.14 (Fig. 36d) has three rollings of the same seal. None of the sealings are complete. On the reverse there is a good impression of the object sealed. This object had a curled rim and a convex surface. It is likely that the object sealed was a bottle; the convex surface would indicate a very small vessel. The middle impression is the most intact, with four elements of the scene visible. The top and bottom borders of the seal are not preserved. First, a standard with a long shaft is present. This standard has a partial circle which is not entirely preserved because of the portion of the rolling. Inside the circle is a cross-hatch pattern with three vertical spars and an unknown number of horizontal ones. The second and third elements are two vertical pieces parallel to the shaft of the standard. These elements are between the standard and the figure, the fourth element. They are otherwise not to be identified. The fourth element is a human figure re, of which an arm, shoulder, waist and a leg are visible. The figure is holding the standard with one arm. The figure re seems to be shown en face. The top most impression has five elements, here de-scribed from right to left. These figures are only partially preserved, since the bottom bor-der of the seal is present but only approximately half of the vertical portion of the seal is preserved. The first element is a pair of legs, not much more than the feet of a figure fac-ing left. The second element is a vertical piece which does not rest on the bottom border of the seal. The third element is a second pair of legs and the waist of a figure facing left. The fourth element is another vertical piece. The fifth element is just a stub which is not further definable. The bottom impression has only a very small portion preserved. This seems to be the arm of the figure from the middle impression, the top of the second and third elements of that rolling, and the shaft of the standard. It seems that this object may have the rollings of two different seals. The middle and lower seal impressions are made from the same seal, while the upper impression seems to be made from a second seal. First, the proportions of the figures seem to be different between the seals. Second, while it is difficult to discern, the seal that made the middle and lower impressions seem to portray the figures en face, while the upper impression has the figures facing left. However, the impressions are only partial, and the secondary firing or rolling may have changed the proportions.
Back to top: Glyptics
Impressions from seal n4
J3.16 (Fig. 37e) has on its reverse the impression of a peg. The single impression has only the lower border present, with the rest broken off. There are five elements visible on the impression. On the far right is a very faint impression that is not further distinguishable. Above this is an element, perhaps a bird, perhaps in flight. Below is a four-legged animal, preserved entirely apart from the neck. This animal is facing left, and is reclining with both legs folded under the body. A tail is visible. Above the back is a fourth element, a diamond shape, possibly the head of the animal, element three. A fourth element is seen to the left of the animal, but not further distinguishable.
J3q328.3 (Fig. 37f) has on its reverse an impression of the door(?), which is nearly parallel to the rolling of the sealing, which is unusual. There is also a peg impression, but no string impression. The impression seems to have both the upper and lower borders of the seal impressed in small portions. The height of the seal is 3cm. Three elements are present on the impression: first, in the middle of the seal directly behind and slightly above the animal. This element is not further definable. The second element is above the rump of the animal, perhaps a bird? The third element is a seated quadruped, with both visible legs tucked under the animal. A tail is also visible.
Back to top: Glyptics
Impressions from seal n5
J3.18 (Fig. 37b) is large object with a single impression on the obverse. No impressions were discernable on the reverse. The scene has several vertical lines which do not appear to be a part of any element. The left most element seems to be a human figure, exaggerated in the vertical dimension. The figure seems to be holding what may be a standard, a vertical shaft with a semi-circle containing possibly a cross-hatch pattern. To the right of the standard is an element which could be an animal facing right.
Back to top: Glyptics
Other Seal Impressions
J04q987.1 has a string impression, the positioning of which suggests a peg, of which however there is no imprint. The seal impression has three elements. The first seems to be a deity, only half visible in the rolling. The figure has a horned crown, with one pair of horns (only one visible). The left arm of the figure is bent with the hand at the waist and the elbow away from the body. The second element is another human figure, this one with what seems to be a cap with a wide band. The right hand of this figure is also at the waist, with the elbow away from the body. The third element is an animal figure. This figure is a quadruped which is standing upright, with an elongated neck which curves forward. The way that the figure stands and the position of the forehands may indicate an anthropomorphic portrayal.