Ancient Near East Seal Collection

Usage conditions apply

Cylinder seal

  • Cylinder seal
  • Cylinder seal
  • Cylinder seal
  • Cylinder seal
  • Cylinder seal
  View right to left
Historical period(s)
Old Babylonian period, ca. 2000-1600 BCE
Medium
Hematite
Dimension(s)
H x W: 2.2 x 1.1 cm (7/8 x 7/16 in)
Origin
Iraq
Credit Line
Gift of the Duncan M. Whittome Revocable Trust in memory of Ambassador and Mrs. James S. Moose, Jr.
Accession Number
F1993.18.2
Keyword(s)
cuneiform, cylinder seal, hematite, Iraq, Lama, man, Old Babylonian period (ca. 2000 - 1600 BCE), worship
Label

This cylinder seal shows a suppliant goddess standing in front of a royal figure with a rounded cap and a long dress. The suppliant goddess with raised hands can be identified with Lama. The term "lama" is Sumerian (Akkadian Lamassu) and refers to a beneficent, protective female (Black and Green 1992, 115). Typically, her position is depicted in a consistent form, usually introducing worshipers to a deity. In this case, the goddess is standing in front of a figure, possibly identified as a royal, holding a mace. Tessier suggests that this type of male figure was sometimes identified as a deity. Behind the king is an inscription.

Inscription:
i-din-{d}UTU
DUMU IZ-ZA-AK-KA-AN
ARAD {d}UTU-i-{d}ISHKUR

Translation:
Iddin-Shamash
Son of IZ-ZA-AK-KA-AN
Servant of Shamshi-Adad

Translation provided by Terri Tanaka

References:

Teissier, Beatrice. 1984. Ancient Near Eastern Cylinder Seals from the Marcopoli Collection. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Moortgat, Anton. 1940. Vorderasiatische Rollsiegel: ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Steinschneidekunst. Berlin: Mann.

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

Usage conditions apply

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections..