Jemdet Nasr Light Green Chalcedony Cylinder Seal

$311.28

A finely engraved light green chalcedony cylinder seal of the Jemdet Nasr period, featuring a horizontal register that depicts geometric motifs in an iconic linear expression. This cylinder seal has been verticallyy perforated, suggesting it was once used to roll over a clay surface to mark private belongings or administrative records.

Date: Circa 3200-3000 BC
Provenance: From the collection of a deceased gentleman pre1988, by descent to the extended family in Geneva to London.
Condition: Very fine condition

SOLD

SKU: HL-311 Category: Tags: ,

The Jemdet Nasr Period took place in southern Mesopotamia, with a great number of administrative cuneiform tablets and seals coming from there. The stamp seal was a carved object, usually made of stone, which first appeared in the fourth millennium BC and was used to impress pictures or descriptions into soft, prepared clay. These seals guaranteed the authenticity of marked ownership: as such, they were instrumental in legal transactions, and in the protection of goods against theft. Seal amulets with stylised animals have been found throughout Mesopotamia in contexts dating to the late fourth millennium BC, although stamp seals and cylinder seals were the predominant types in the ancient Near East.

Weight 3.1 g
Dimensions W 1.3 x H 2 cm
Culture

Region

Semi-Precious Stones