Cylinder seal: milky crystal, two bovines grazing, three other animals, bird, and a human in the field [all crossed out; handwritten on card by Yoko Tomabechi: From left: Antithetical bulls on either side of plant; above each bull an unidentified animal with a long tail; above animal on the left, a motif consisting of three diamond shapes; above animal on right antelope couchant with head turned back. To the right a human figure with staff in the right hand, holding an object in the left hand; girdle around the waist with a dagger (?) suspended. Below the figure a stool. Above the figure a large bird, possibly a griffin vulture, with outstretched wings. References: Jequier, G. "Cachets et cylindres archaiques" Memoires de la delegation archeologique en Iran, vol. 8, Paris, 1905, pl. 1. figure 22 - for diamond motif; figure 55 - for stylization of the man] Babylonian [Handwritten on card by Yoko Tomabechi: Prehistoric (archaic) period, provincial provenance, most probably southern Iran. Style similar to that found on cylinder seals from the archaic period at Susa] [Handwritten on card: Alabaster? Style: ED III. Looks suspicious ......fake? Center: Two bovris face plant, each animal (dog?) standing on its back, small horned animal above right, three.....[pointed crossed out ] star (?) above and left. herdsman (?) with a stick in hand faces to left between backs of two bovris, bird above herdman - for bird see Frankfort, H. 1955. Stratified cylinder seals from the Diyala region, Oriental Institute Publications, 72. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, #293, see # 684 for animals around tree (Akkadian), #219 (Protoliterate or ED I,............) #33, #841, flower #32 - not number of petals but angularity, #882, a bird - not very like (EDI), #905, male figure, not very like; Porada, Edith. (ed) 1948. Corpus of ancient Near Eastern seals in North American collections, #97-102].
Donor:
Alfred Kohlberg
Collection place:
Middle East
Culture or time period:
Early Dynastic III (ca. 2700–2340 BC)
Collector:
Alfred Kohlberg
Materials:
Limestone
Object type:
archaeology
Object class:
Cylinder seals
Accession date:
1955
Department:
Asia (except western Russia)
Dimensions:
width 17 millimeters and length 38 millimeters
Loans:
S1967-1968 #50: Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures (UC Berkeley)/Anne D. Kilmer (October 30, 1967–October 30, 1967), S1972-1973 #20: Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures (UC Berkeley)/Margaret Perkins (November 6, 1972–November 7, 1972), S1981-1982 #20: Near Eastern Studies Department, UC Berkeley (October 16, 1981–October 16, 1981), and S1988-1989 #36: San Francisco State University (March 27, 1989–May 5, 1989)