Mesopotamian Cylinder Seal

University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

Mesopotamian Cylinder Seal, circa 2350-2150 BC

Mesopotamian Cylinder Seal, circa 2350-2150 BC. The rolled out impression of this seal may be seen in the next slide. Cylinder seals were used by Mesopotamians as ownership stamps. Plain stamps of ceramic have been discovered as early as the Ubaid period of Mesopotamia (early 6th millennium), but the intricately carved cylinder seals occur during the Uruk period.

The photographs in this collection were provided by the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and represent artifacts loaned until 2008 to the Beijing World Art Museum for their rotating exhibit on Great Civilizations.