Seals

Cylinder seals and stamp seals, and the impressions they were made to leave. A seal is a few centimetres of carved stone that produces a continuous scene when rolled across wet clay, which makes it both a signature and a picture. They survive in enormous numbers, they were the single largest category taken from Baghdad in 2003, and museums almost always photograph the seal beside its modern impression so you can read what the object was for.

Part of Mesopotamia

77 moments in this segment.

1. 5600 BC - Stamp seal and modern impression: geometric pattern. 5600 to 5000 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1986.
2. 5000 BC - Loop-handled circular seal. 5th to 4th millennium BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Bequest of Lester Wolfe, 1983.
3. 3600 BC - Conoid seal with pinched apex. 3600 to 2900 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1985.
4. 3500 BC - Ritual scene before a temple facade Late Uruk ca. 3500, 3100 BCE. The seal impression depicts a procession of three nude figures approaching a schematically represented temple. The first figure is pouring something from one vessel into another, the second stands but is partially obscured by damage, and the third raises an object, likely a vessel, in his clasped hands.
5. 3500 BC - Seal amulet in the form of a recumbent fox. 3500 to 2900 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886.
6. 3500 BC - Seal amulet in the form of a fish. 3500 to 2900 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1987.
7. 3500 BC - Drilled cushion-rectangular plaque seal. 3500 to 2900 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1942.
8. 3500 BC - Drilled hemispheroid seal. 3500 to 2900 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1983.
9. 3500 BC - Seal amulet in the form of a recumbent bovid. 3500 to 2900 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Walter Hauser, 1959.
10. 3300 BC - Seal amulet in the form of a bird of prey. 3300 to 2900 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Walter Hauser, 1958.
11. 3300 BC - Seal amulet in the form of a lion's head. 3300 to 2900 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Walter Hauser, 1958.
12. 3300 BC - Cylinder seal and modern impression: "pigtailed" ladies in front of loom (?); containers with loop handle. 3300 to 2900 BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1984.
13. 3300 BC - Seal amulet in the form of a reclining cow. 3300 to 2900 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Walter Hauser, 1955.
14. 3100 BC - Cylinder seal and modern impression- ritual scene before a temple facade MET DP270679. 3100 BC. Cylinder seal; Stone-Cylinder Seals. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
15. 2900 BC - Cylinder seal. 2900 to 2700 BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1987.
16. 2600 BC - Cylinder seal with animal contest and banquet scene. 2600 to 2350 BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Nanette B. Kelekian, in memory of Charles Dikran and Beatrice Kelekian, 1999.
17. 2600 BC - Cylinder seal and modern impression: seated goddess before figures carrying boxes, one placed on "altar". ", ca. 2600 to 2500 BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1984.
18. 2600 BC - Cylinder seal and modern impression. 2600 to 2500 BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1984.
19. 2600 BC - Cylinder seal and modern impression: bull-man, bearded hero, and lion contest frieze. 2600 to 2350 BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Walter Hauser, 1955.
20. 2250 BC - Rectangular plaque seal with stepped pyramidal back. 2250 to 2000 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874, 76.
21. 2112 BC - Cylinder seal and modern impression: worshiper pouring a libation before a seated god. 2112 to 2004 BC, from Nippur. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1959.
22. 2112 BC - Cylinder seal with ritual scene. 2112 to 2004 BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Nanette B. Kelekian, in memory of Charles Dikran and Beatrice Kelekian, 1999.
23. 1700 BC - Cylinder seal and modern impression: suppliant goddess. 17th to 16th century BC, said to be from Dilbat. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Georg Hahn, 1947.
24. 1700 BC - Cylinder seal cap. 17th to 16th century BC, said to be from Dilbat. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Fletcher Fund, 1947.
25. 900 BC - Cylinder seal with mythological contest scene. 8th century BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Nanette B. Kelekian, in memory of Charles Dikran and Beatrice Kelekian, 1999.
26. 900 BC - Cylinder seal with cultic banquet scene. 9th to 8th century BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of The Right Reverend Paul Moore Jr., 1985.
27. 800 BC - Stamp seal (octagonal pyramid, worn) with musician. 8th century BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1893.
28. 800 BC - Stamp seal (octagonal pyramid, worn) with cultic scene. 8th to 7th century BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1893.
29. 800 BC - Stamp seal (scaraboid) with deity and divine symbols. 8th to 6th century BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1893.
30. 800 BC - Stamp seal (bull-shaped) with animal. 8th to 7th century BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886.
31. 800 BC - Cylinder seal with cultic scene. 8th to 7th century BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Nanette B. Kelekian, in memory of Charles Dikran and Beatrice Kelekian, 1999.
32. 800 BC - Stamp seal (oval conoid) with cultic scene. 8th to 6th century BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1984.
33. 750 BC - Stamp seal (bifacial disk) with cultic scene and monsters. 8th to 7th century BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1984.
34. 700 BC - Cylinder seal with three-figure contest scene. 7th century BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1985.
35. 700 BC - Stamp seal (conoid) with monsters. 8th to 6th century BC or later. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Nanette B. Kelekian, in memory of Charles Dikran and Beatrice Kelekian, 1999.
36. 700 BC - Stamp seal (octagonal pyramid) with cultic scene. 7th to 6th century BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Frederic Newlin Price, 1959.
37. 700 BC - Stamp seal (oval conoid) with two-figure contest. 8th to 6th century BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Nanette B. Kelekian, in memory of Charles Dikran and Beatrice Kelekian, 1999.
38. 600 BC - Stamp seal (octagonal pyramid) with animal contest. 6th to 4th century BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Nanette B. Kelekian, in memory of Charles Dikran and Beatrice Kelekian, 1999.
39. 2011 - Jemdet Nasr cylinder seal 1. Cylinder seal from the Jemdet Nasr period (3100-2900 BC). Find location: Khafajah Sin Temple IV (Iraq) Current location: Oriental Institute Museum, Chicago (USA). Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
40. 2011 - Oriental Institute Museum. Three groups of fighting gods (5948893140). The Tell Asmar hoard, votive figures buried under the floor of the Square Temple at Eshnunna. They were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large: the worshipper was represented rather than present.
41. 2011 - Oriental Institute Museum. Hero, lions and intertwined snakes (5948228059). White limesotne, Early Dynastic (2700-2350 BC). Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
42. 2011 - Jemdet Nasr cylinder seal 2. Cylinder seal from the Jemdet Nasr period (3100-2900 BC) Find location: Khafajah Houses I (Iraq) Current location: Oriental Institute Museum, Chicago (USA). Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
43. 2011 - Oriental Institute Museum. Design of Interlocked Lions (5948774430). The Tell Asmar hoard, votive figures buried under the floor of the Square Temple at Eshnunna. They were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large: the worshipper was represented rather than present.
44. 2011 - Oriental Institute Museum. Hero with six curls subdues water buffalo, human-headed bull subdues lion (5948237393). Green limestone, Akkadian (2350-2150 BC). Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
45. 2011 - Oriental Institute Museum. Kilted man subduing lion, lions attacking water buffalo (5948234199). Black limestone, Akkadian (2350-2150 BC). Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
46. 2013-04-24 - How Akkadian cylinder seals served as ancient signatures | Art, Explained. The Met on Akkadian cylinder seals functioning as signatures. A seal was rolled across wet clay to leave a continuous impression, so its owner's mark could authenticate a document or a sealed container.
47. 2014 - Cylinder seal - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07246. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
48. 2014 - Cylinder seal - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07250. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
49. 2014 - Cylinder seal - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07233. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
50. 2014 - Gazelle head stamp seal with design of Two Predators Chasing a Gazelle, Tell Agrab, Uruk, 4000-3100 BC, limestone - Oriental Institute Museu. 07203. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
51. 2014 - Ram stamp seal with design of Two Animals, Tell Agrab, Uruk, 40900-3100 BC, green calcite - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago. DSC07204. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
52. 2014 - Cylinder seals - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07219. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
53. 2014 - Fox stamp seal with Design of Scorpion and Animals, Ischali, Uruk, 4000-3100 BC, brown limestone - Oriental Institute Museum, University of . 07204-001. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
54. 2014 - Stamp seal with eight tadpole figures, Khafajah, Early-Middle Uruk, 4000-3500 BC, brown limestone - Oriental Institute Museum, University of. 07198. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
55. 2014 - Lion head stamp seal with main design of Antelope and Branch, Tell Asmar, bird vase pit, Uruk, 4000-3100 BC, green calcite - Oriental Instit. 07206. The Tell Asmar hoard, votive figures buried under the floor of the Square Temple at Eshnunna. They were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large: the worshipper was represented rather than present.
56. 2016 - Jama-Coaque cylinder seals 01. Cylinder seals from Jama-Coaque culture in the Museo de las Culturas Aborigenes de Cuenca. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
57. 2016 - Jama-Coaque cylinder seals 02. Cylinder seals from Jama-Coaque culture in the Museo de las Culturas Aborigenes de Cuenca. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
58. 2016 - Lugalanda Clay Seal Impression from Archaic Period of Sumer, 2900-2340 BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
59. 2016 - Cylinder seal with Master of Animals motif, Akkadian Period, c. 2400-2200 BC - Harvard Semitic Museum - Cambridge, MA - DSC06183. Exhibit in the Harvard Semitic Museum, Harvard University - Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
60. 2016 - Cylinder seal with mythic combat scene, Neo-Assyrian Period, c. 9th-7th century BC - Harvard Semitic Museum - Cambridge, MA - DSC06189. Exhibit in the Harvard Semitic Museum, Harvard University - Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
61. 2017-01-22 - The oldest portrait in the British Museum (probably) | Curator's Corner S2 Ep1 #CuratorsCorner. A British Museum curator argues for the oldest portrait in the collection. Cylinder seals and small carved objects carry much of the earliest human imagery from the region, because they survive in quantity where monuments do not.
62. 2017 - Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem IMG 6524. Exhibits at "Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
63. 2018-07-18 - Collecting the Past: Pierpont Morgan and Ancient Mesopotamia. How Pierpont Morgan assembled his collection of ancient Mesopotamian seals. Early twentieth-century private collecting is part of the provenance history of most large seal holdings.
64. 2020 - Nude bearded hero wrestling with water buffalo, bull man fighting lion, Mesopotamia, Akkadian period, c. 2334-2154 BC, serpentine cylinder s. & Museum - New York City - DSC06594. Exhibit in the Morgan Library Museum - New York City, New York, USA. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
65. 2020 - Ama usumgal Dumuzi et quatre quadrupèdes. A bull man attacks four quadrupeds. We see the inscription Ama-Ushumgal (𒀭𒂼𒃲𒁔 d ama-ušumgal ), namesake of the mythical king or shepherd Dumuzi. Archaic dynasty II. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
66. 2020 - Sceau Djemdet Nasr potieres et araignees AO 5371. Cylinder seal, pink limestone, schematic decoration: potters at work and "spiders". Jemdet-Nasr period, c. 3000 BC. AO 5371. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
67. 2020 - Hero pursuing two ostriches, Mesopotamia, Middle Assyrian period, c. 12th-11th century BC, marble cylinder seal - Morgan Library & Museum - . 06607. Exhibit in the Morgan Library Museum - New York City, New York, USA. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
68. 2020 - Sceau culte Assur Ishtar AO 1510. Cylinder seal and modern impression, chalcedony: scene of worship to Ashur and Ishtar, standing on two dragons. Neo-Assyrian period (c. 934-609 BC). AO 1510 https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010139908. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
69. 2020 - Sceau Ilishimani AO 7160. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
70. 2020 - Sceau genie deesse ailee AO 22343. Carnelian cylinder seal with modern print: winged genie holding two winged monsters, and naked winged goddess. Neo-Assyrian period (c. 934-609 BC). AO 22343. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
71. 2020 - Sceau scene de presentation neo sumerien AO15419. Chlorite cylinder seal belonging to a scribe, with modern imprint, depicting a scene of presentation to a goddess. Neo-Sumerian period (c. 2150-2000 BC), Girsu (Tello). AO 15419. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
72. 2020-08-21 - Rolling Stones: Looking at Ancient Mesopotamian Cylinder Seals. The Morgan Library on ancient Mesopotamian cylinder seals. Institutions usually photograph a seal alongside a modern impression, since the design only reads properly when it is rolled out.
73. 2022-07-06 - Cylinder Seal: An Ancient Signature?. A cylinder seal considered as an ancient signature. Seals were personal property, often worn, and they carry some of the earliest and densest imagery from the region.
74. 2024-05-02 - Kid's Corner: Make a Cylinder Seal!. A children's workshop making a cylinder seal at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Carving a rolling design in reverse is the technical problem the ancient seal cutters solved daily.
75. 2024 - Mitanni, sigillo con culto a un dio sole e genio a doppia testa leonina, in ematite, dall'iraq, 1600-1300 ac ca., AO 10857, 01. Near Eastern Antiquities in the Louvre - Room 227. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
76. 2024 - Periodo medio-assiro, sigillo con leone che assalta toro, palma, cane e cavalletta, dediche a marduk e shamash, in diaspro, dall'iraq, 1392-. 911 ac ca., MNB1907, 01. Near Eastern Antiquities in the Louvre - Room 227. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003.
77. 2026-07-11 - Using X-Rays to read sealed cuneiform tablets. Using X-rays to read cuneiform tablets still sealed inside their clay envelopes. Imaging lets a document be read without breaking the case that carries the sender's seal impression, so both survive.