Seals in Space and Time
8
Cylinder seal
Geometric design: The earliest seals often had geometric designs. In this case, two sets of intertwining lines ("eye"-lozenges) is seen, with fishes between this motif set. This could reflect wave motions and, within the geographical context of this seal, may point to the presence of the Euphrates river and the accompanying natural phenomena. Uruk, in antiquity, was situated on the once abundant (now dried-up) channel of the Euphrates.
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Date
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Uruk IV-III (3300-3000 B.C.)
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Material
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Green calcite
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Dimensions
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32x22mm
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Museum No.
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NBC 3968
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Bibliography
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B. Buchanan, 1981, Early Near Eastern Seals in the Yale Babylonian Collection, p. 54, fig. 157
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