Early Akkadian Cylinder Seal

Rogers: Black obsidian seal of fairly good size. This is typical of the art of the Agadé period. It shows the early grouping of rampant animals, with the antelope on either side, so characteristic of the early Babylonian art. The human figure still has the birdlike head devoid of features, but wears a long, pleated skirt. Whle the subject matter is very similar to the sealier seals, it has a distinctive air of its own. The drawing is bold and somewhat conventional by the dominance of long straight lines. A criss-crossed square and a small plant appear on the seal as a fill-up design. Porada: A winged(?) figure holding an indefinable object; two crossed lions attacking two antelopes. Terminal: Horizontal parallels above a plant. Note that the figure and plant may be unparalleled.

Scheil, Revue d'Assyriologie, Pl. II #11, Rogers 17 p. 23. cf. Strat. Cyl. No. 601 for horned animals, No. 421 for lions. Porada, Edith. "Concordance of Seals in the Oriental Museum, UIUC." Unpublished ms., ca. 1950. Rogers, Frances. Babylonian Seal Cylinders as a Historical Source, UIUC Master's Thesis, 1929. "UI, USC students collaborating on unique archaeology project." Inside Illinois, 11/2/2006. Photo: "Technology + Teamwork = New Discoveries", USC College of Letters, Arts & Sciences, Winter 2006/07, p. 1.