Cylinder seal and modern impression: geometric design ca. 2900–2700 Although engraved stones had been used as early as the seventh millennium to stamp impressions in clay, the invention in the fourth millennium of carved cylinders that could be rolled over clay allowed the development of more complex seal designs. These cylinder seals, first used in Mesopotamia, served as a mark of ownership or identification. Seals were either impressed on lumps of clay that were used to close jars, doors, and baskets, or they were rolled onto clay tablets that recorded information about commer
Cylinder seal and modern impression: geometric design ca. 2900–2700 Although engraved stones had been used as early as the seventh millennium to stamp impressions in clay, the invention in the fourth millennium of carved cylinders that could be rolled over clay allowed the development of more complex seal designs. These cylinder seals, first used in Mesopotamia, served as a mark of ownership or identification. Seals were either impressed on lumps of clay that were used to close jars, doors, and baskets, or they were rolled onto clay tablets that recorded information about commercial or legal transactions. The seals were often made of precious stones. Protective properties may have been ascribed to both the material itself and the carved designs. Seals are important to the study of ancient Near Eastern art because many examples survive from every period and can, therefore, help to define chronological phases. Often preserving imagery no longer extant in any other medium, they serve as a visual chronicle of style and modern impression of the seal is shown so that the entire design can be seen. The imagery consists of a geometric pattern of chevrons and oblique lines. The seal is broken at one Cylinder seal and modern impression: geometric design. ca. 2900–2700 Limestone (?). Early Dynastic I. Mesopotamia, Nippur
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