cylinder seal
- Museum number
- 89317
- Description
-
Streaked pale brown and red-brown chalcedony cylinder seal; antithetical group with a hero facing left between rearing sphinxes; a crescent carelessly cut with a fringe of tool-marks, the Pleiades arranged in a cluster and a six-rayed, globe-centred star in the upper field above the sphinx on the right and, in the lower field on either side of the hero, a fish set diagonally with its head upwards towards the right, and a horizontal rhomb. There is a large domed area for the hero's head (one of the drill-holes is still visible), with a cluster of three drill-holes on the shoulder and two for the beard, while others mark the shoulders, buttocks, calf, fists and heels; there are two diagonal lines across the chest and three across the top of his belted skirt, which has a fringe at the bottom and hangs open over a plain kilt. The sphinxes have small, domed hairstyles (the three constiuent drill-holes are still visible on the left), single buns, and are beardless with raised single wings, a curved tail ending in a drill-hole, drill-holes on the shoulders and haunches, flared lines along the body, two claws on the raised forepaw and five on the lowered forepaw of one sphinx (that of the other one is hidden by the fish); while the hind legs have 'berry' paws, with the addition of two lines for claws. Edges slightly chipped. Slightly barrel-shaped with ends slightly convex.
- Dimensions
-
Diameter: 1.40 - 1.50 centimetres
-
Height: 3.02 centimetres
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1851
- Department
- Middle East
- BM/Big number
- 89317
- Registration number
- N.1074