Glyptics (Version 1)

Styles. Realism

Pointed edges

Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati – April 2026

Introduction

     In this style the seal carvers emphasized forms that are triangular with sharp edges and pointed ends. Often these triangles are long and narrow and composed in groups (for example, A13.15).
     The figures exhibiting this stylistic trait are placed close to each other but not overlapping so that the image is clearly readable even if there are a number of figures in the context.
     The sharp rendering contributes to a quick identification of the image, so that the seal owner and those sealing the objects or those breaking the sealing to access the contents could immediately recognize the iconography and attribute it to the proper owner. This contributes to the efficiency of the administrative process whereby the sealed containers (boxes, baskets, etc) could be opened quickly and identified properly.
     The use of the style also distinguishes the same subject on the seal from other seals showing the same subject, for instance deities with a horned crown or bearded human males.
     In what follows, we will look at distinctive subjects to which this particular stylistic trait applies.

A13.15

Divine figures

Divine figures can be seated or standing, in a hieratic posture. When shown in movement, they are usually fighting with an animal. They can be holding objects (A1.483) and can have symbols connected with them.
The inscribed seal A12.82 depicts a seated Shamash figure with long narrow triangular sun rays coming from one shoulder; these rays are part of the god's usual iconography in Mesopotamia, but here they are rendered with an emphasis on the thin triangular shape.

A1.483

A12.82

Their heads are topped with crowns consisting of horns which can be simple (A12.82) or they can be patterned (A1.483 and A1q914.8).
The deities' hair can take the shape of chignon-like rounded protrusions at the back of the head. The Tupkish seal A12.82 has two (A7.193) or even three balls are also found (see also A1q914.8).

A1q914.8

A7.193

     Often, the deities have sharply pointed thin triangular noses, as in A12.82, A1q914.8 or A7.193.
     They can also have pointed triangular ears (A13.15) extending from the heads and shown either full face or in profile(A1q937.31).
     They can have small or medium protrusions depicting their lips (A1q914.8 and A1q937.31).

A13.15

A1q937.31

For instance A7.327 which demonstrates the hands of the three figures and the face of the horned figure in the Pointed Style but the garment of the seated figure and the fire illustrate a rectangular pattern connected to the Deep Fringe Style.

A7.327

Our evidence from the seal impressions carved in this style seldom give us an indication of the garments they are wearing. Of particular interest is the skirt worn by Shamash in A12.82 (see below)

A12.82

Human bodies

Human bodies are rendered naturalistically but with their hands often in an open U-shape (A10q778,01).

A10q778.1

Human hair is usually short and straight so reaches just below the ears (A6.63). This is also the type of hair that Enkidu has in the Gilgamesh-Enkidu plaque (A7.36) In this plaque Gilgamesh has short hair that we don't find in the Urkesh seals even the young human figures as in the Family seal of Uqnitum (AKc5).
move plaque to hair

A6.63

Gilg plaque

When human beards or hair are represented they are in a series of thin parallel triangles (Akc106) but sometimes the hair is depicted in this way but the beard is straight parallel lines (see both types in the human and bullman in A13c1).

AKc106

A13.15

Nude males can be wearing horns (Akc106). In this example it appears that the horns are held onto the head through an attachment at the level of the ear.
Humans fighting with animals can have hair extended from the same line as the nose and straight in the back ending just below the ears with a pointed rounded shape (A6.63).

AKc106

A6.63

Animal bodies

Animals can have triangular ears as in the human figures (A16q834.1), or more longitudinal ears (AKc7).

A12542.4

AKc7

Horns may show a double or a single running line of triangular pattern ( A12q542.04))

A12542.4

Manes are shown as lines of either short triangles( A12q542.04, )

A12542.4

or longitudinal strips (A13.9, AKc7, A5q790.2 )

A12542.4

AKc7

A5q790.2

Lions can have paws with sharply pointed feet and end of the tail (Akc106). Scorpions are rare but in a seal impression with an unusual positioned nude woman (J6q462.3) the scorpion next to her has a series of elements protruding from the body that could relate this seal to the Pointed Style.

AKc106

J6q462.3

There are few seal impressions with an emphasize geometric pattern and A1c3 is a good example of the effect of a large number of thin shapes with sharp edges combined with animals with elongated bodies and horns.

A1c3

Landscape

[this section added here, was in deep fringe -- ok?] YES OK HERE BUT I JUST NOTICED THAT DEEP FRING STYLE HAS A TITLE “SURREALISM” NOT “REALISM 2 WHERE IT NOW SHOULD BE Elements of the landscape are also occasionally carved in this style as shown in the small tree and the animal's head in A5.115

A5.115

Comparison with other styles

Comparing the Pointed Edges style with the Deep Fringe Style

In the Pointed Style human figures rarely have decoration on the garments but see (A7.69, A7.194) where one of the figures holding the tail of the bull has a pleated skirt. This is also the case for two figures in A7.327 connecting them also with the Deep Fringe style.
Of particular interest is the skirt worn by Shamash in A12.82 because of its visual connection with the inscription placed directly behind the seated Shamash. The upper part of the garment is decorated with two rows of rectangles and the skirt portion with two rows of long very thin triangles. These patterns reflect the images of the cuneiform signs in the inscription However the seal of Tupkish shows a figure wearing a long garment with a line of pointed triangles down the middle as in the Deep Fringe Style.

A7.69

A7.194

A7.327

A12.82

Celestial symbols are not common but do occur (A15.270, A7.359 and A7.380).

A15.270

A7.359

A7.380

Sometimes bodily articulation is emphasized, such as long thin arms and legs in (A16c2 and AKc106)

A16.c2

AKc106

Comparing the Pointed Edges style with the Dotted Eye Style

We see that the eyes in the figures in the Pointed Style are usually small to medium ovals without a dot in the center even though this does occur sometimes (A7.380). In both these styles the head is almost always shown in profile but the eye is depicted frontally. While the eye of the figures is emphasized in the Dotted Eye they are small and not emphasized in the Pointed Style. In both these styles deities have horns in front view.

A7.380

The triangles in the Pointed edge style are completely different from the triangular head in AKc107. This seal has a small human figure with a triangular shaped head and a central eye but the triangle is not pointed except for the nose on the face. However the main figure is a large human-like shape with a triangular head and upper body. The arms are overlapping the shoulder area of the body. The figure is fighting with an animal with what appears to be a triangular head or possibly a leg. These triangles of this seal are completely different from the Pointed triangles which are long, thin and have a sharply pointed end. In A9.24 we see the triangles forming long very thin horns as well as parts of the bodies, especially the legs.

A7.380

A9.24