PLATE NO. 17

Seal Cylinders, which were used by the Babylonians to certify documents. The seal was rolled over the clay while still soft and left the impression which is here shown.

Figure 1. Babylonian cylinder seal of the reign of Ur-Engur, king of Ur about 2500 B. C. It is inscribed with an address to the king and with the name of its owner. The scene represents Sin, the moon god, seated, to whom a worshiper, probably Khaskamer, the owner of the seal, is being introduced. British Museum, Number 89,126.

Figure 2. Persian cylinder seal depicting Darius, king of Persia (521-485 B.C.), hunting lions in a palm plantation. Above is the emblem of the god Ahuramazda, and at the end is the king's name and titles in Persian, Susian, and Babylonian. British Museum, Number 89,132.

Figure 3. Babylonian cylinder seal, probably about 2500 B C., inscribed with the name of Adda the scribe as its owner. On the left is the goddess Ishtar with a bow and at her feet a lion; between the mountains is Shamash rising, or setting. British Museum, Number 89,115.

The illustrations are from A Guide to the Babylonian and Assyrian Antiquities. 2d Edition, 1908. By permission of the Trustees of the British Museum.

Seal Cylinders.

PLATE NO. 18

Figure 1. Seal cylinder depicting the goddess Ishtar, with the bow in her hand, and the Venus star above her head.

Figure 2. Seal cylinder formerly incorrectly supposed to represent the Babylonian tradition of the temptation.

Figure 3. Seal cylinder depicting two women picking dates from the palm tree. The crescent, symbol of the moon god Sin, appears between two of the figures.

Illustrations from Cyrus, von Ernest Lindl, München, 1903.