Cylinder Seal with Sun God in Boat

2350 BC - 2100 BC
Shell
Tell Asmar
3.6 cm x 2.1 cm diam.
A11396

Oriental Institute Museum

Artifact Description

Cylinder Seal with Sun God in Boat

This cylinder seal was made from a piece of shell. 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 shows the sun god Shamash, who can be identified by the rays of light emanating from his shoulders. He is seated on a boat, the prow of which appears as a long-haired, crowned figure handling a punting pole.

Collected by

Iraq Expediton
Excavated by The Oriental Institute 1932-1933

Multimedia

Cylinder Seals
What are cylinder seals and how were they used by the ancient Mesopotamians?

Suggested Readings

Black, Jeremy and Anthony Green. Gods, Demons, and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1992.

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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