bezel
- Museum number
- 120361
- Description
-
Blue agate seal bezel; cameo cut blue-grey face and dark back, nicolo; engraved design on the lightly convex face, showing lion on its hind legs, leading an ostrich on a leash; scattered around these animals are 6 letters belonging to a Sabaean inscription in South Arabian script giving the name "Lahay'athat"; star or sun emblem on the right; plain reverse where originally set into a finger-ring or similar.
- Dimensions
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Height: 1.10 centimetres
-
Length: 0.60 inches
-
Thickness: 0.30 centimetres
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Width: 1.40 centimetres
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Width: 0.40 inches
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
-
Not to be confused with E 81-12-6,2, a South Arabian inscription!
-
Bowers catalogue entry
Seal bezel showing a lion and ostrich
Quartz, cameo cut blue-grey face and dark back, nicolo
Width 1.4 cm, height 1.1 cm, thickness 0.3 cm
ANE 1881-12-6,2 = 120361 = S.O.C. 43
This seal was originally set as a bezel in a finger-ring. It depicts a lion walking on its hind-quarters and leading an ostrich by a leash tied around its neck. Scattered around these animals are six South Arabian letters which may be translated as “Lahayathat”, and a single sun or star emblem on the right. The significance of the iconography is uncertain but both species were indigenous to Arabia and only became extinct in the 20th century: perhaps it is an allusion to an event in oral fable or local mythology.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
2004-2005 17 Oct-13 Mar, California, Bowers Museum, 'Queen of Sheba: Legend and Reality'
1997-2005 Aug-16 Dec, BM, G51/PSA/3
1976-1997 BM, West Stairs: South Arabian Landing [SAL], wall-case 2 [WC2]
- Condition
- Complete; some old light scratches on the reverse
- Acquisition date
- 1881
- Department
- Middle East
- BM/Big number
- 120361
- Registration number
- 1881,1206.2
- Additional IDs
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Miscellaneous number: CIH 735
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Miscellaneous number: RES 2698 (siglum)
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Miscellaneous number: SOC.43 (Semitic Old Collection registration number)
