Jemdet Nasr Jasper Cylinder Seal Bead with Ibexes

Ancient Near East, Jemdet Nasr period, ca. 3100 to 2900 BCE. A jasper cylinder seal of rich red hues, skillfully incised with a band of running ibexes. The accompanying clay rollout reveals five large ibexes (or possibly antelope) motifs running in the same direction. Note that the artisan was certain to delineate all four legs of each animal in order to completely define it, yet the number of antlers is probably exaggerated in order to convey their motion or perhaps suggest the presence of others. This highly schematized composition was favored for squat-shaped seals which became very popular towards the end of the fourth millennium BCE. Iconography of the ibex was replicated in gold, bronze, and stone, in visual culture of the ancient Near East as well as Central Asia. The ibex symbolized virility, and by extension health, strength, and power. Hunting scenes were also popular signs of the leisure activities of elites in these parts of the ancient world, and the five ibexes running here may be part of the hunt. A lovely example that comes with a custom stand also displaying a clay rollout of the seal. Size: 0.7" W x 0.7" H (1.8 cm x 1.8 cm)

Cylinder seals played a major role in the daily life of the Ancient Near East. Known as kishib in Sumerian and kunukku in Akkadian, royals, government officials, scribes, and slaves used them to transact business and send correspondence. They were worn around the neck or wrist and served as a signature and a guarantee, rolled into the moist clay of accounting and governance documents. They also link our modern world to the past - thousands of years ago, people were concerned with security and authenticity for the documents that they used to conduct business. Cylinder seals were a technological solution to a pressing problem, and their scenes are often complex to prevent forgery and identify individuals.

See another cylinder seal of a parallel squat form (though carved from limestone) and with similar ibex/antelope motifs at the Smithsonian Institute (accession number F1999.6.16).

Cf: Collon, Dominique. 2005. First Impressions: Cylinder Seals in the Ancient Near East. London: British Museum Press.

Provenance: private Zaveloff collection, Lakewood, New Jersey, USA, acquired from Venus Gallery, Israel, in 2002

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#155595
Condition Report: Light wear on surface commensurate with age, including a few tiny chips. Very clear motifs. Accompanied by a modern clay rollout.