What cylinder seals say about ancient and modern life

earliest form of signature came from ancient Iraq in the form of cylinder seals.

Mesopotamians, ancient inhabitants of the land between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. many new products are credited in human history, including writing, urbanism and the state. Among these inventions cylinder seals are perhaps the most characteristic, but least known.

Seals as artifacts

Thousands of these tiny objects– often no more than 2 inches (5 centimeters) in height and 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter – are displayed in museums today. They indicate artistic tradition in ancient Iraq and Syria which remained continuous from the end of the fourth to the first millennium BC.

Essentially cylinder The seal was a small sculpture that served a very important utilitarian purpose: signing documents. It was usually made from precious or semi-precious stones such as lapis lazuli, agate or chalcedony. Images and texts were engraved on stone using a technique called intaglio printing. It is noteworthy that these engravings will need to be done in the reverse order of how the markings will appear when used.

When rolled over a wet clay tablet, these engravings left bas-relief marks indicating that the owner of the item had authorized the written document. In this respect, the cylinder seal impression is the progenitor of modern handwritten and digital signatures.

Seals and identity

Although cylinder seals were an invention of the Sumerians, who inhabited southern Mesopotamia about 6,000 years ago, they quickly spread to the rest of Mesopotamia. Western Asia and Eastern Mediterranean and became important items in everyday life.

Communities in this vast region, especially in Mesopotamia, a region poor raw materials—brought stones from distant countries make your own stamps. Mesopotamians mined diorite in Oman, lapis lazuli in Afghanistan, and carnelian and agate in the Indus Valley and other parts of South Asia.

Seals made from these exotic stones were of particular value, so only the elite could afford them. These people, often associated with the state and temples, were usually members of the royal family, high-ranking bureaucrats and priests. In contrast, people from the lower classes used seals made of less valuable materials such as limestone, clay or glass.

The inhabitants of Mesopotamia and their contemporaries in Western Asia expressed their identity not only through the material of the seals, but also through texts and images engraved on them. The texts of the seals often introduced the owners to their names, genealogy, gender, professions and hometowns. Thanks to this information, researchers know that seals are owned not only by men, but also by wealthy women, although in much smaller proportions.

Religious identity was also conveyed through long prayers addressed to personal gods or through images depicting gods and believers.

Making stamps

Volume Mesopotamian images depicted on cylinder seals. was wide. For thousands of years, seal carvers—artisans who specialized exclusively in making seals—carved scenes depicting everyday life and nature. religious ritualswar, architectural views and mythical stories involving gods, heroes and hybrid creatures such as winged horses and griffins.

Much of this rich imagery is the result of the personal choices of the owners. often refer to their personality. In some exceptional cases, Mesopotamian kings or their lieutenants controlled and approved the design of the cylinder seals they used. given to high-ranking officials.

Many seals appear to have already been carved with popular cultural motifs before they were sold to clients, although strong archaeological and archival evidence is still needed to confirm this. When the buyer purchased these finished objects, he may have asked for new lettering to be added or some changes to be made to the image. Most known cylinder seals were probably re-carved for elite clients, especially members of the upper classes such as royalty.

Cylinder seals open a wide window not only into the ancient art and culture of Mesopotamia, but also into the minds of individual Mesopotamians. The seals, which were carved with personalized images and texts reflecting their views on life and society, were closely associated with their owners. The seal was lost considered a very negative omen for your patron. On the contrary, modern signatures are often impersonal and general.

Cylinder seals, along with city life, organized religion, and bureaucracy, were a key component of ancient Mesopotamian civilization. These features, in different forms and proportions, continue to define modern life today.

This article has been republished from Talk under Creative Commons license. Read original article.