Search Results: Cylinder Seal

Cylinder Seals were impression stamps used by the people of ancient Mesopotamia. Known as kishib in Sumerian and kunukku in Akkadian, the seals were used by everyone, from royals to slaves, as a means of authenticating identity in correspondence...

Among the most interesting and revealing artifacts discovered from ancient Mesopotamia are cylinder seals. These fairly small items may be seen today in museum exhibits around the world but, perhaps owing to their size, they are not given...

Mesopotamia (from the Greek, meaning 'between two rivers') was an ancient region located in the eastern Mediterranean bounded in the northeast by the Zagros Mountains and in the southeast by the Arabian Plateau, corresponding to modern-day...

Writing is the physical manifestation of a spoken language. It is thought that human beings developed language c. 35,000 BCE as evidenced by cave paintings from the period of the Cro-Magnon Man (c. 50,000-30,000 BCE) which appear to express...

Mesopotamian inventions include many items taken for granted today, most of which were created during the Early Dynastic Period (2900-2334 BCE) or developed from achievements of the Uruk Period (4100-2900 BCE). The Sumerians are credited...

Daily life in ancient Mesopotamia cannot be described in the same way one would describe life in ancient Rome or Greece. Mesopotamia was never a single, unified civilization, not even under the Akkadian Empire of Sargon of Akkad (the Great...

This lapis lazuli cylinder seal shows a libation scene. A robed king stands before the ascending Sun God Shamash and pours an offering. The suppliant goddess (with necklace counterweight) stands behind the king. The God holds a wedge and...

This cylinder seal dates back to the early dynastic period, 2900-2350 BCE, and was found at Mattarah village (near Kirkuk), Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. The seal's impression has two registers. The lower one features standing men and animals...

This green jasper cylinder seal depicts a contest scene. At the centre of the scene, there is a pair of crossed bulls; each one is being attacked by a standing bearded hero. The heroes have a double bun hairstyle. They wear a wrap-over kilt...

This is a cylinder seal with an image of its impression. It was found at Kish city, Mesopotamia, Iraq. 3200-2900 BCE. (The Sulaimaniya Museum, Iraq).