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would be in greater demand. For this reason seals of purely oriental design and workmanship probably continued to be made even at the height of the Hellenistic influence, especially in cities which like Nippur had a long tradition of oriental forerunners.

Ring seals were not popular in the Parthian period and -a new globular form (fig. 8) came into common usage. If the cylinder was seldom used in Seleucid times, with the rise of the Arsacidae, it seems to have dropped completely out of sight. The hemispherical form, especially common in hematite began to make its appearance. In general the bases of the Parthian seals tend more to roundness than do those of the Seleucid period which are' generally oval. Besides these differences in shape, we can be reasonably sure that the engraving will be deeper on the gems of the later period. The most common technique seems to be a development of that used during the previous period, a series of straight parallel lines.(25) This is possibly due to more extensive use of the wheel in cutting necessitated by the greatly increased demand for seals. A somewhat similar technique appears upon the coinage after the beginning of the Christian era.(26)

The human figure formed one of the principal subjects for the gem engraver, either full length, with long trousers, short coat and hair bound with a fillet the ends of which hang down behind, or a bust treated in a similar fashion.(27) Such busts usually have no base nor were they completed with the palm leaves or flying ribbons so characteristic of the Sasanian busts.(28)

A somewhat different treatment partially dictated by the refractor); nature of the quartz and the use of the point alone in engraving may be seen in number 1, plate I and figure 9, where two figures are created with simple straight lines. There are a number of animal motifs which appear upon the coins of the latter half of the Parthian Empire and 'also, upon the seals. Doubtless some of them were employed upon the seals of early Sasanian times as well, so that their presence alone does not settle the question but merely dates the objects between these periods. Among such designs are the crouching ram or ibex,(29) a winged horse (Pegasus ?), (30) the antlered stag,(31) and the gryphon.(32) This last motif has usually been considered

25. Pl. 1, nos. 5-8; Delaporte, Cyl. Orient., 1, p. 79, D. 152, D. 153; von der Osten, Art Bull., XIII, 1931, p. 8, fig. 113.
26. See the plates in Wroth, Catalogue of the Coins of Parthia, (British Museum), or any other volume on Parthian coinage.
27. Pl. I, nos. 8-11; cp. the Parthian bust from Dura-Europos, Wells, Rostovstzeff and Bellinger, eds., The Excavations at Dura-Auropos, Third Season, pl. XVII; for other examples see Delaporte, Cyl. Orient., 1, p. 83, D. 252-3, D. 258-9; von der Osten, Art Bull., XIII, 1931 p. 4, fig. 17 and 18.
28. Pl. I, nos. 13, 14; pl. II, nos. 8, 12; see also von der Osten, Art Bull., XIII, 1931, p. 8, fig. 120.
 		      29. J. de Morgan, Numismatique de la Perse Antique, ler fasc., Introduction-Arsacides, (in part III of E. Babelon, Traité des Monnaies Grecques et Romaines) pl. XXIV, 19 and 20, text no. 305, (coins of Mithradates IV, 130-47 A.D.).
30. Pl. 1, no. 12; cp. op. cit., Pl. XIII, 6-8 and text 123 and 123a.
31, Pl, 1, nos. 13-15; cp. op, cit., pl. XIII, 16 and 17, text 130 (Orodes 1, 57-38/37 B.C.; cp. Tarn, Cambridge Ancient History, IX, P. 613).
32. Pl Il, nos. 1-3; cp. op. cit., pl. XXIII, 17 and 18, text 291 (Osroes 106/7-130 AD ?)

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