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Assyrian cylinder seals

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This seal was found in a grave. It dates from around 1200 BC. The seal shows a scene of prayer with a number of gods with crowns made of horns. Three persons are depicted with a young bull sitting between them. The winged woman – probably the goddess Shaushka – is holding a lance in her left hand and a scimitar in her right hand. She is the wife of Teshup the weather god, who is standing next to her. Teshup with his long locks of hair is wearing a short skirt and holding an axe and a scimitar in his left hand. He has a club in his raised right hand. The young bull belongs to the weather god: it is his emblem. The royal person in the long robe standing in front of the small bull and the two gods is praying with raised hands.

The seal to the right is made in a style that is typically Middle Assyrian. It also dates from around 1200 BC. The seal was found in a jar in a workshop. We see a kneeling archer aiming his arrow at a ferocious lion standing on its hind legs. It is remarkable that this seal is in an unfinished state. Especially the archer is only partly cut out into the stone.

Do you want to read more about the excavations in 2003? Go to: excavation in 2003.

Do you want to read more about the Assyrian seals and sealings of Tell Sabi Abyad? Go to: Assyrian seals.

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