Seal · Neo-Assyrian
Mesopotamian stamp seal
6000–300 BCE, Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian
Stamp seals predate the cylinder seal in the Near East, appearing in Halaf and Ubaid contexts before 5000 BCE, and return to dominance in the first millennium BCE when Neo-Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian and Achaemenid officials used chalcedony conoids and octagonal pyramids showing a worshipper before the symbols of Marduk and Nabu. Prehistoric examples are 15–30 mm and of soft stone; first-millennium seals are usually 20–35 mm of chalcedony, agate or carnelian. Dealers meet them mixed with cylinder seals in old collections formed before 1970.
| Object | Seal |
|---|---|
| Dates | 6000–300 BCE |
| Period | Neo-Assyrian |
| Cultures | Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian |
| Regions | Near East & Mesopotamia |
Diagnostic traits
A small perforated stone or clay seal with a flat or slightly domed engraved base bearing an animal, figure, geometric or worship scene, in hemispheroid, gable, conoid, scaraboid or pyramidal form.
Identification
A cylinder seal is rolled and shows a continuous scene; a stamp seal has a single flat design. Neo-Babylonian seals favour a standing worshipper with the spade of Marduk and stylus of Nabu, Achaemenid seals a royal hero fighting beasts, Sasanian seals a bust or animal with a Pahlavi legend on a domed ellipsoid. Anatolian and Syrian stamp seals of the Bronze Age have distinct button and hammer-handle forms.
Reproductions and fakes
Modern seals cut in Iran and Iraq use genuine stone but show rotary-tool grooves that are too even and lack the wear at the perforation; genuine seals have polished wear at the string hole and softened edges of the engraving. Provenance before 1990 (Iraq) or 1979 (Iran) is essential.
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Mesopotamian stamp seal" (Artifact type). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/types/mesopotamian-stamp-seal. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-mesopotamian-stamp-seal,
title = {Mesopotamian stamp seal},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/types/mesopotamian-stamp-seal}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, commons. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.