A NEO-ASSYRIAN OR NEO-BABYLONIAN CHALCEDONY CYLINDER SEAL, CIRCA 8TH-7TH CENTURY B.C. A NEO-ASSYRIAN OR NEO-BABYLONIAN CHALCEDONY CYLINDER SEAL, CIRCA 8TH-7TH CENTURY B.C. A NEO-ASSYRIAN OR NEO-BABYLONIAN CHALCEDONY CYLINDER SEAL, CIRCA 8TH-7TH CENTURY B.C. A NEO-ASSYRIAN OR NEO-BABYLONIAN CHALCEDONY CYLINDER SEAL, CIRCA 8TH-7TH CENTURY B.C.

A NEO-ASSYRIAN OR NEO-BABYLONIAN CHALCEDONY CYLINDER SEAL, CIRCA 8TH-7TH CENTURY B.C.

Reference: ART600420

With a combat scene showing a central bearded hero, wearing a long robe, holding the forepaws of two flanking human-headed sphinxes reared up on their hind legs, an eye symbol and staff(?) in the field. In the upper fields there is an eight pointed star and seven stars grouped together which represent the 'seven layers' or "Heavens".
37 mm. height, 17 mm. diam.
20.10 gram.

CONDITION
Very good condition.

PROVENANCE
Purchased from an important South Kensington gallery, previously in her father's collection since 1970s.

REFERENCE
Jensen, Peter Christian Albrecht, Die Kosmologie der Babylonier: Studien und Materialien, mit einem mythologischen Anhang und 3 Karten (Stra­burg: Karl J. Trübner Verlag, 1890) – reprinted in 1974 by De Gruyter (Berlin) – review in: Revue de l’histoire des religions, 22 (18??), 180-208 [J. Hal­vy] (*).