Cypriote - Cylinder Seal with Rows of Genii - Walters 42830
Cyprus produced cylinder seals only during the late 2nd millennium BC. These seals combine Syrian and Mesopotamian imagery in a uniquely Cypriot fashion. In this example, female figures wearing crowns hold lon... More
Egyptian - Cylinder Seal - Walters 42168
This cylinder seal is of the type placed in burials. It shows a woman seated before an offering table. The images surrounding her indicate her name in very early hieroglyphs, from before the language and writin... More
Iranian - Cylinder Seal with a Lion Hunt - Walters 42797
In the 8th and 7th centuries BC, Elam, to the east of Mesopotamia in Iran, experienced a brief period of prosperity during which it allied itself with Babylonia against Assyria. The seals produced in Elam durin... More
Iranian - Cylinder Seal with Heroes Surrounded by Hunters and Animals ...
After defeating Babylonia in 539 BC, the Achaemenid dynasty considered itself heir to Mesopotamian traditions, including the use of cylinder seals. In a square, four crowned busts of the king or possibly the go... More
Iranian - Cylinder Seal with Heroes Surrounded by Hunters and Animals ...
After defeating Babylonia in 539 BC, the Achaemenid dynasty considered itself heir to Mesopotamian traditions, including the use of cylinder seals. In a square, four crowned busts of the king or possibly the go... More
Iranian - Cylinder Seal with Heroes Surrounded by Hunters and Animals ...
After defeating Babylonia in 539 BC, the Achaemenid dynasty considered itself heir to Mesopotamian traditions, including the use of cylinder seals. In a square, four crowned busts of the king or possibly the go... More
Kassite - Cylinder Seal - Walters 42619 - Side F
The Kassites were a people from the northwest who installed themselves as the rulers of southern Mesopotamia, unified under the name of Babylonia. They adopted much of its culture, including the cylinder seal. ... More
Kassite - Cylinder Seal - Walters 42619 - View A
The Kassites were a people from the northwest who installed themselves as the rulers of southern Mesopotamia, unified under the name of Babylonia. They adopted much of its culture, including the cylinder seal. ... More
Kassite - Cylinder Seal - Walters 42619
The Kassites were a people from the northwest who installed themselves as the rulers of southern Mesopotamia, unified under the name of Babylonia. They adopted much of its culture, including the cylinder seal. ... More
Mesopotamian - Barrel-Shaped Cylinder Seal - Walters 42655 - View A
A figure stands before a sacred tree in a scene of reverence. The barrel shape and the use of agate, an exotic material, indicate that this piece was probably imported as a bead from outside Mesopotamia and lat... More
Mesopotamian - Barrel-Shaped Cylinder Seal - Walters 42655
A figure stands before a sacred tree in a scene of reverence. The barrel shape and the use of agate, an exotic material, indicate that this piece was probably imported as a bead from outside Mesopotamia and lat... More
Mesopotamian - Cylinder Seal - Walters 42564 - Impression
The variety of mythological scenes increased dramatically during the Akkadian period. In this seal, a seated vegetation goddess is greeted by three other deities. Stalks of grain sprout from the females, while... More
Mesopotamian - Cylinder Seal with a Deity Accepting an Offering - Walt...
This seal depicts a favorite scene of the Old Babylonian period in which a worshiper stands among a number of gods. The worshiper, in a long robe and cap, offers an animal to the sun-god Shamash, who rests one ... More
Mesopotamian - Cylinder Seal with Figures in Combat with Horned Animal...
Combat scenes between humans and other creatures became very popular in the later Early Dynastic period. The intricate pairing of interlocking figures creates an elaborate, decorative pattern. The star between ... More
Mesopotamian - Cylinder Seal with Genius and Human-Headed Lions - Walt...
A four-winged genius grasps two winged, human-headed lions by their beards. The winged genius served as a protective guardian.
Mesopotamian - Cylinder Seal with Griffins, Humans and a Winged Disk -...
Appearing in the upper register of this seal, 3 figures flank a stylized sacred tree with a winged disk above. Two winged monsters with eagle heads and scorpion tails flank a falling goat in the lower register.... More
Mesopotamian - Cylinder Seal with Human-Headed Griffin Attacking a Hor...
This seal, depicting a human-headed griffin attacking a horse, has the detailed modeling of musculature characteristic of Middle Assyrian period art. The use of an empty background highlights the drama of the c... More
Mesopotamian - Cylinder Seal with Scorpion Man Shooting at Winged Crea...
During the Middle Assyrian period, seal carvers expanded their repertoire of fantastic and mythical creatures. On this seal, a bird-man with a scorpion tail aims a bow and arrow at a winged lion-griffin standin... More
Mesopotamian - Cylinder Seal with Winged Bull - Walters 42733
The Assyrian empire rose to power in the Middle Assyrian period. During this time, the art of the cylinder seal increased in naturalism, movement, and sculptural quality. This seal exemplifies these trends as a... More
Mitannian - Cylinder Seal with a Row of Human Figures above Animals - ...
This seal depicts a group of Mitannian deities. A winged male stands between two bulls and holds aloft a winged disk from which a deity emerges. Two male figures kneel on the backs of the bulls in adoration. A ... More
Mitannian - Cylinder Seal with a Row of Human Figures above Animals - ...
This seal depicts a group of Mitannian deities. A winged male stands between two bulls and holds aloft a winged disk from which a deity emerges. Two male figures kneel on the backs of the bulls in adoration. A ... More
Mitannian - Cylinder Seal with Two Heroes and a Tree - Walters 42992 -...
Mass-produced seals made of soft, ceramic-like materials that could be glazed in bright colors were introduced during the Mitannian period. These seals have less complex compositions, emphasizing repetitive pat... More
Mitannian - Cylinder Seal with Winged Genie - Walters 42671
A winged figure with legs in the form of coiling snakes holds two horned animals by their tails. To the side, two lions attack a fallen antelope below the divine emblems of a winged disk and two rosettes. This ... More
Near Eastern - Cylinder Seal with Standing Figures and Inscriptions - ...
The depicted scene features a standing goddess in long robe, with one arm raised, wearing a horned headdress. Before her is a standing worshipper, also in a long robe, with one arm raised. Between them is a sma... More
Syrian - Cylinder Seal with a Two-Humped Camel Carrying a Divine Coupl...
This seal shows a divine couple sitting on the two humps of a Bactrian camel, one of the earliest images of this animal. Above them hovers a winged rosette, which is a protective emblem. A smaller figure holdin... More
Syrian - Cylinder Seal with Worshippers before a Goddess - Walters 424...
Syrian seals have a diverse range of imagery drawn from Mesopotamia and Egypt. This seal depicts the Syrian "smiting" god and a nude female figure standing on the back of a bull. Behind the smiting god is a Bab... More
Turkish - Cylinder Seal with a Seated God - Walters 42800 - Impression
Seals first appeared in Cappadocia in the early 2nd millennium BC. Mesopotamian influence can be seen in the use of hematite and elements such as the worshiper before the seated deity and the sun disk inside a ... More