Cylinder Seal with Childbirth Scene
Hematite
Original Site Unknown
2.9 cm x 1.0 cm diam.
A27902
Oriental Institute Museum
Cylinder Seal with Childbirth Scene
This cylinder seal was made from a piece of hematite. It would have been rolled onto clay to produce a unique impression, or "signature," that was used either to indicate ownership or to safeguard personal possessions. This seal depicts a contest scene (featuring men and lions) in the upper register, and what may be a childbirth scene in the lower register. The latter shows a pregnant woman lying on a bed, or table, surrounded by attendants.
Multimedia
Cylinder Seals
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Suggested Readings
Barber, Elizabeth Wayland. Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1994.
Collon, Dominique. Interpreting the Past: Near Eastern Seals. University of California Press. 1990.
Roaf, Michael. Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. New York: Facts on File, 1990.
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