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Details
LOT 0971
Western Asiatic Glass Stamp Seal with Master of Animals
MID 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
3/4 in. (8.5 grams, 21 mm high).
A green glass stamp seal pierced through the handle for suspension, circular matrix with incuse Master of Animals figure standing right, a bird perched on one hand, other animals surrounding him in the field.
Provenance
Acquired 1969-1979.
London collection of the late Mr S.M., thence by descent.
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LOT 0971
Western Asiatic Glass Stamp Seal with Master of Animals
Sold for (Inc. bp): £191
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Acquired 1969-1999. London collection of the late Mr S.M., thence by descent. Accompanied by a previous typed cataloguing sheet.
In many ancient Mediterranean cultures, such vessels were symbols of wealth and status, or ritual objects associated with cult activities. Lion-headed eagles were associated with the god of Imdugud or Anzu, a divine bird and the personification of wind, thunder and cloud; this cup may have been used as a dedication to the god. -
Neo-Babylonian Cuneiform Administrative Tablet from the Reign of Artaxerxes I, Achaemenid King of Persia
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The tablet records a promissory note of a typical kind to pay for barley. It concludes with the names of witnesses, town and date. The Aramaic script transcribes the cuneiform name of the debtor into Aramaic script, making it easier for scribes to identify who each tablet refers to. It dates to the Achaemenid period, to the reign of Artaxerxes I (465-424 B.C.). Such late administrative tablets are typically carelessly written, as is apparent on our example as some script has been rendered slanting sharply downwards. -
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