First Impressions: Cylinder Seals in the Ancient Near East

by Dominique Collon

The Ancient Near East has a fascinating and unique source of pictorial information in the form of miniature reliefs produced by the impressions of cylinder seals. This is the most comprehensive introductory survey of cylinder seals yet published. The small cylinders, generally of stone and engraved with a design, were made from about 3300 to 300 BC and were rolled out on lumps of clay used for sealing goods and writing tablets, leaving an impression in relief. The designs on them are intricate and varied and are a major source of information for the art historian, the student of theology and the Biblical scholar. They are also a dating tool for the archaeologist and a source of aesthetic pleasure for collectors and all who study them. The author considers the history of their use and the evidence they provide for trade, technology, religion, architecture, farming, warfare and other central themes in the history of the Near East.

Genres: History

208 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1988

Reviews

[Gavin White · Rating 4 out of 5]

With 966 photos and line drawings this is an excellent visual resource for the symbolism of the ancient Near East. The first 100 odd pages give you a historical overview of stamp and cylinder seals from the earliest times down to the 1st millennium BCE. Then in part two, there are various chapters on specific subjects on how the seals were made and used. And in the final part, there is a very useful set of chapters on various themes such as hunting, dress, warfare, deities, temples, animals and mythical monsters etc.
The stars of this book are the images. The accompanying written text is very dry and scholarly - telling you what the seal is made from, where it was found etc, what it never goes into is the meaning of any of the symbolism featured in the images.
I've owned this book for 20 years or more and I still keep referring to it, copying images from it, and exploring parts of the text commentaries. From this perspective it is a wonderful resource - however it is difficult to find any specific image as there is nothing like a symbol index. Long ago I started scrawling notes inside the back cover to reference images of the stag, the scorpion man etc and I'd recommend any reader does the same as this will save you many a hour searching back over 966 images!

[Tabea · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for every student of ancient near eastern archaeology!

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

the most complete anthology of the use of cylinder seals i have come across