Cylinder Seal with Milking Scene
Shell
Khafajah
2.9 cm x 1.1 cm diam.
A17069
Oriental Institute Museum
Cylinder Seal with Milking Scene
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. The upper register of the seal depicts a long-haired, kilted figure milking a goat, as well as a bald figure shaking a large suspended jar containing milk used to make butter. The lower register depicts two goats and a ram, each drawn in front of a stalk or plant.
Collected by
Henri Frankfort, Field Director of the Iraq Expedition
Excavated by The Oriental Institute 1934-1935
Multimedia
Cylinder Seals
What are cylinder seals and how were they used by the ancient Mesopotamians?
Suggested Readings
Collon, Dominique. Interpreting the Past: Near Eastern Seals. University of California Press. 1990.
Hunter, Erica. First Civilizations: Cultural Atlas for Young People. New York: Facts on File, 1994.
Roaf, Michael. Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. New York: Facts on File, 1990.