Old Assyrian Trading Colony Stone Cylinder Seal
Ancient Near East, Anatolia or Mesopotamia, probably Old Assyrian Trading Colony, Middle Bronze Age, ca. early 2nd millennium BCE. A fine example of a cylinder seal, hand-carved from black stone with deeply incised motifs: tall figures facing each other, wearing long tunics and dramatic headdresses. One holds a staff featuring a common symbol of spiritual power, a ball atop a crescent, while small animals, plants, and abstract symbols flank and surround them, creating a full surface. The seal is pierced vertically for suspension, made to be worn on a necklace or bracelet so that it could be easily rolled across clay seals used to close jars, doors, and baskets, as well as to mark official documents recording economic transactions. Size: 0.55" W x 1.4" H (1.4 cm x 3.6 cm); 3.15" H (8 cm) on included custom stand.
This seal was likely made in Anatolia during the Old Assyrian period, when the two regions had a strong trade network. Anatolia's indigenous people, the Hattians, lived in city states which each had a market called a "karum" for trade with Assyria; some 20 karums were governed by the central market, Kanis, in Kultepe. Caravans brought tin, perfumes, ornaments, and other goods in exchange for silver and gold, and local rulers protected them. The Assyrians introduced cuneiform writing and cylinder seals to keep track of their trade accounts in Anatolia. The Anatolian style of cylinder seal is characterized by the filler motifs and by figures standing in different orientations as well as the patterning of the clothing.
Provenance: private Zaveloff collection, Lakewood, New Jersey, USA, acquired before 2004
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#151470
Condition Report: Excellent condition. Light wear commensurate with age and wear, including some tiny chips, mainly at the edges and around the opening, but the motifs are well preserved. Accompanied by a modern clay roll out.
View it on
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
Ancient Near East, Anatolia or Mesopotamia, probably Old Assyrian Trading Colony, Middle Bronze Age, ca. early 2nd millennium BCE. A fine example of a cylinder seal, hand-carved from black stone with deeply incised motifs: tall figures facing each other, wearing long tunics and dramatic headdresses. One holds a staff featuring a common symbol of spiritual power, a ball atop a crescent, while small animals, plants, and abstract symbols flank and surround them, creating a full surface. The seal is pierced vertically for suspension, made to be worn on a necklace or bracelet so that it could be easily rolled across clay seals used to close jars, doors, and baskets, as well as to mark official documents recording economic transactions. Size: 0.55" W x 1.4" H (1.4 cm x 3.6 cm); 3.15" H (8 cm) on included custom stand.
This seal was likely made in Anatolia during the Old Assyrian period, when the two regions had a strong trade network. Anatolia's indigenous people, the Hattians, lived in city states which each had a market called a "karum" for trade with Assyria; some 20 karums were governed by the central market, Kanis, in Kultepe. Caravans brought tin, perfumes, ornaments, and other goods in exchange for silver and gold, and local rulers protected them. The Assyrians introduced cuneiform writing and cylinder seals to keep track of their trade accounts in Anatolia. The Anatolian style of cylinder seal is characterized by the filler motifs and by figures standing in different orientations as well as the patterning of the clothing.
Provenance: private Zaveloff collection, Lakewood, New Jersey, USA, acquired before 2004
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#151470
Condition Report: Excellent condition. Light wear commensurate with age and wear, including some tiny chips, mainly at the edges and around the opening, but the motifs are well preserved. Accompanied by a modern clay roll out.
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
