.bk A13
.fl ZK514mKB.j
.fd description of seal impressions
.ed ZK514
.ei mKB
.rd ZK514
.ri mKB
i 28
is The Ishar-beli seal impressions, excavated in the cache of door sealings found together with a large number of Tar'am-Agade seal impressions depicts the seated god who is wearing a long garment with pleates in at least three rows; he is facing left,with his left arm bent close to the body holding a staff. His stool is divided into six squares in two rows. The god Shamash in A12.82 (seal of ...tupsher) is seated on a similar but wider stool divided into nine squares. In A13.28 the deity has his right arm extended toward the prancing equid while holding an object with three extended points, perhaps something to eat. The equid is jumping toward the lap of the seated deity. Behind the horse is a bearded god wearing a long vertically pleated skirt. This figure is holding the extended arm of another standing deity wearing a skirt that appears to have a fringe running down the two sides. This figure is holding with his right arm a small equid positioned over his right shoulder.
Behind the seated god is the inscription box with the name of the seal owner, Ishar-beli. This is placed over a standing water buffalo with long horns facing right. This animal has a raised head so appears to be looking at the small animal. What is unusual about the iconography of this seal is the emphasis on the animals; both the equid and the water buffalo are prominently displayed with empty space surrounding them.
The theme of a prancing equid is also found in other seal impressions excavated in Urkesh; in A9.27 which is a crude imitation of the Ishar-beli iconography (Kelly-Buccellati 2015 page 118, fig. 6 5. In this seal impression the equid is large and has the front legs touching the lap of the seated figure who is holding up what appears to be a drinking vessel. Two other examples displaying parts of this iconography are A1.461 with a standing figure with a small equid over the shoulder and A7.522 showing a horned animal with the head raised toward a figure in a fringed skirt (See Buccellati and Kelly-Buccellati 2002 pp. 22-25; Recht 2022 p. 167 Fig. 9.2).