Ancient Near East Seal Collection

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Stamp seal

  • Stamp seal
  • Stamp seal
  • Stamp seal
  • Stamp seal
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Historical period(s)
Achaemenid period, 550-330 BCE
Medium
Chalcedony
Dimension(s)
H x W x D (overall): 2.8 x 2.4 x 1.1 cm (1 1/8 x 15/16 x 7/16 in)
Origin
Iran?
Credit Line
Anonymous gift
Accession Number
F1993.15.80
Keyword(s)
Achaemenid period (ca. 550 - 331 BCE), bezel-shaped seal, chalcedony, griffin, Iran, stamp seal
Label

A winged, mythical animal, passant on a line representing the ground, is seen on this stamp seal. This composite animal is a common motif in the ancient Near East. Represented in the first millennium BCE on the relief from the temple of Ninurta at Nimrud, this animal is composed of the body of a lion with wings and rear legs of a bird. In the ancient Near East this figure is identified as a bird monster in the form of a lion, perhaps Anzu or Asakku. This demon was thought to bring death through head fevers and was defeated by Ninurta.

References:

Legrain, Leon, and Leonard Woolley. 1951. Ur Excavations X; Seal Cylinders. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Black, Jeremy A., Anthony Green, and Tessa Rickards. 2014. Gods, Demons, and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: an Illustrated Dictionary. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Published References
  • Antonietta Catanzariti. The Ancient Near East Seal Collection. Washington. .
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