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  1. (D. 1479). White marble. Considerably weathered cylinder seal. 34 x 21 mm.
    To the left two lions, rampant and crossed, with heads full face, bite each the throat of a rampant bull with reverted head. To the right a rampant bull with reverted head is seized by a naked hero. In the upper space between the two groups is a spread eagle, now only faintly preserved.
IV. SEALS OF THE OLD AKKADIAN PERIOD (C. 2425 to C. 2245 B.C.)
  1. (D. 1531). Quartz. Cylinder seal. 35 x 19 mm.
    To the left a naked bearded hero, with his hair at the back done up in a bun and wearing a flat cap, holds a rampant lion by the head and tail. To the right of this a rampant antelope is crossed with a rampant lion, and to the right of this is a rampant stag with wide-spread antlers and then a rampant lion. All the animals have reverted heads and all the figures are in profile.
  2. (D. 1532). Grey limestone with quartz veins. Much worn cylinder seal. 33 x 19 mm.
    To the right a naked hero holds a lion by its hind leg and tail, head downward. To the left, in duplicate, a naked hero attacks a rampant quadruped.
  3. (D. 1533). Dark serpentine. Much worn cylinder seal. 27 x 15 mm.
    On the left two naked bearded heroes, standing back to back, attack each a rampant bull with reverted head. The bull on the left is in turn attacked by a rampant lion. On the right there is a rampant quadruped with reverted head, attacked apparently by a naked hero.
  4. (D. 1534). Dark serpentine. Cylinder seal. 26 x 15 mm.
    Two naked bearded heroes attack a rampant lion with reverted head, one holding his front paws and the other his tail. The cuneiform inscription is suspect,7 but this does not necessarily mean that the seal is a forgery because the ancient seal cutters were not always literate.8 The design is a common one on Old Akkadian seals,9 while the stone itself has every appearance of being genuine. It is considerably weathered and the hole is drilled from both ends.
  5. (D. 1225). Serpentine. Cylinder seal. 27 x 13 mm.
    An interceding goddess with left hand uplifted, wearing a long fringed robe, leads a worshipper, also wearing a long fringed robe, into the presence of an enthroned goddess, wearing a horned cap and a long flounced robe. A tree appears behind the enthroned goddess and a moon-crescent behind the head of the interceding goddess. The seal belongs to the transition period from Old Akkadian into Ur III.
7. It seems to read as follows i ) i-ga-su-um (2) ? nin-ti.
8. Professor H. A. Thompson, Assistant Director of the Museum, calls my attention to the fact that the Attic vase painters similarly were not always literate 		    when they attempted to paint inscriptions on their vases.
9. See, e.g., H. H. von der Osten, op. cit. Nos. 104, 105, and 107 ; A. Moortgat, Vorderasiatische Rollsiegel, 1940, Nos. 174, 16g, and 72.

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Created by the Digital Documentation Center at AUB in collaboration with Al Mashriq of Høgskolen i Østfold, Norway.

981129 PN - Email: hseeden@aub.edu.lb