An Old Babylonian haematite cylinder seal

An Old Babylonian haematite cylinder seal
Circa 1800-1600 B.C.
Engraved with a worshipper wearing a tiered robe with arms raised, a star disc and crescent above, opposite a deity wearing a kilt and holding a staff, with four vertical bands of cuneiform text as the terminal, 3.3cm high, 1.3cm diam.

Provenance:
Collection of the renowned Iraqi architect Said Ali Madhloom (1921-2017), brought to the UK in 1981; and thence by descent to the current owners.

Seals served to identify their owner in commercial transactions when rolled on clay tablets and also had protective qualities linked to the precious material they were made of and the gods they portrayed. The use of haematite was typical of seals produced in the Old Babylonian Period.