cylinder seal
- Museum number
- 104499
- Description
-
Grey and blue streaked chalcedony cylinder seal; antithetical scene consisting of a winged disc with streamers above a sacred? rosette-tree, flanked by a fish-cloaked figure with bucket and cone and a crescent above, on the left, and by an incense-burner and a bearded worshipper on the right; behind the figures, one above the other, are the Pleiades, a very small globe-centred nine-pointed star, a rosette made up of seven drill-holes surrounding a larger one, a seated dog facing left and a cock striding towards the left. The winged disc has horizontal wing-feathers and flaring tail-feathers and the torso of a god rises from the disc; he faces right, is bearded, wears a tall, flaring, horizontally banded head-dress and raises one hand towards the worshipper; the streamers are short globe-tipped rods. The tree stands on a small hill and consists of a horizontally-banded trunk with four short, curved shoots half-way up, topped by a globe and a palmette from which radiate twelve globe-tipped branches extending beyond a large circle. The fish-cloaked figure is bearded and wears a long, vertically striated robe with a fringe at the hem; the fish-cloak reaches to the ground and the head of the fish forms the figure's head-dress; the bucket is round-bottomed. The incense-burner is a cone topped by three horizontal lines. The worshipper wears a long, fringed robe with a fringed shawl draped over the upper part. He points with his right hand and extends the left palm up. The placing of the motifis at the end of the scene is somewhat haphazard; the Pleiades and the outer globes of the rosette were probably carved with the same diametre drill but the cock is more sketchy than the dog. A personal name may be hidden. Edges chipped; there is wear by the worshipper's head affecting part of the Pleiades.
- Production date
- 8thC BC(late) (probably)
- Dimensions
-
Diameter: 1.30 centimetres
-
Height: 2.60 centimetres
- Location
- Not on display
- Condition
- Fair; edges chipped; area of wear.
- Acquisition date
- 1912
- Department
- Middle East
- BM/Big number
- 104499
- Registration number
- 1912,0511.14