Uruk Stamp Seal with Polypod

Culture: Mesopotamia

Period: 3rd millennium B.C.

Material: Black stone

Dimensions: 2.5 cm in diameter

Price: Sold

Ref: 6492

Provenance: From the German collection Gustav Oberländer (1926-2012).

Condition: Intact

Description: Round stamp seal of black stone with a handle-eyelet on the back. The seal area depicts a two-headed, antlered animal with nine legs, above a bird in the nosedive. The image area is circularly framed by a finely drawn groove. In ancient times seals guaranteed the authenticity of labelled properties. As such, they served for legal transactions and protected good from theft. Usually, these seals were worn around the neck or on a belt, where they always were handy.