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Source Description

This depicted scene features an interceding goddess in a long tufted robe and horned headdress, with one arm raised, leading a worshipper to a seated deity. This deity wears a long, tufted robe, and a horned headdress. The field between the seated deity and interceding goddess includes an inverted crescent. The scene is framed by a cuneiform inscription in two registers. Cylinder seals are cylindrical objects carved in reverse (intaglio) in order to leave raised impressions when rolled into clay. Seals were generally used to mark ownership, and they could act as official identifiers, like a signature, for individuals and institutions. A seal’s owner rolled impressions in wet clay to secure property such as baskets, letters, jars, and even rooms and buildings. This clay sealing prevented tampering because it had to be broken in order to access a safeguarded item. Cylinder seals were often made of durable material, usually stone, and most were drilled lengthwise so they could be strung and worn. A seal’s material and the images inscribed on the seal itself could be protective. The artistry and design might be appreciated and considered decorative as well. Cylinder seals were produced in the Near East beginning in the fourth millennium BCE and date to every period through the end of the first millennium BCE.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
37050
label
Cylinder Seal with a Presentation Scene and an Inscription
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
6
Source metadata
id
37050
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Cylinder Seal with a Presentation Scene and an Inscription
description
This depicted scene features an interceding goddess in a long tufted robe and horned headdress, with one arm raised, leading a worshipper to a seated deity. This deity wears a long, tufted robe, and a horned headdress. The field between the seated deity and interceding goddess includes an inverted crescent. The scene is framed by a cuneiform inscription in two registers. Cylinder seals are cylindrical objects carved in reverse (intaglio) in order to leave raised impressions when rolled into clay. Seals were generally used to mark ownership, and they could act as official identifiers, like a signature, for individuals and institutions. A seal’s owner rolled impressions in wet clay to secure property such as baskets, letters, jars, and even rooms and buildings. This clay sealing prevented tampering because it had to be broken in order to access a safeguarded item. Cylinder seals were often made of durable material, usually stone, and most were drilled lengthwise so they could be strung and worn. A seal’s material and the images inscribed on the seal itself could be protective. The artistry and design might be appreciated and considered decorative as well. Cylinder seals were produced in the Near East beginning in the fourth millennium BCE and date to every period through the end of the first millennium BCE.
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Sadie Jones (Mrs. Henry Walters), New York, 1931, by inheritance; Joseph Brummer, Paris and New York, 1941, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1941, by purchase.
date
ca. 2050-1950 BCE (Ur III)
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Precious Stones & Gems
cylinder seals
imageCount
6
pageCount
6
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diam: 1/2 in. (1.3 cm)
Source extras
cul
Neo-Sumerian
inscriptions
[Transliteration
Cuneiform] 1. szu-{d}nerah 2. dumu i-di3-{d}iszkur [https://cdli.ucla.edu/search/archival_view.php?ObjectID=P272849]
med
black stone
creator_ids
4297
collection_ids
ANE
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
a733fa288b090a51
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
ae8a234238dc0744
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
ef954433769ff866
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
4
type
photo
mediaId
143a1f0ca346a214
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
5
type
photo
mediaId
cf258e7b3650fa16
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
6
type
photo
mediaId
edf5223e883c1e6d
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no