Sealings

Assyrian seals and sealings

with monsters and angels

In the Assyrian settlement we have found dozens of clay sealings with impressions of cylinder seals. The seals have beautiful motifs and have been executed very realistically showing a good sense of proportion and composition.

Many of the seals show fantasy animals: animals made up of different parts with lion's feet, a bird's head, wings or the tail of a scorpion. Underneath these terrifying monsters we sometimes see goats or deer, sometimes people: a rider on his horse, a hunter, a king on his throne, a hero fighting a fantasy animal.

In contrast to the prehistoric sealings, which mostly sealed portable goods (jars, baskets), the Assyrian sealings were mainly used to seal doors. For this a bit of rope that is attached to the door is wound around a peg.

The peg is then driven into the wall next to the door opening. Clay is then moulded around the rope and the peg, and a cylinder seal is rolled over it. Now the door can only be opened by breaking the seal. On the reverse of the sealings the impression of the rope and the wooden peg is clearly visible. The rope is not tied into a knot: the clay gives enough security and if a door had to be opened frequently, a knot would only be inconvenient.

Jars were sealed as well. For this, the opening of the jar is covered with a piece of cloth tied with a rope. Then a piece of clay is pressed onto the rope and the cloth, and a seal is rolled across the clay.

A remarkable find was the sealing of two wooden boxes. On the reverse of one of these sealings the boards of the box and the fastening button are clearly visible. Along with the boxes we have found small archives of cuneiform tablets that were probably stored inside the boxes at some point. Letters and contracts were sometimes sealed as well. Because these texts often mention the name of the sender, we know who owned a particular seal. We know for example the seal of Tammitte. He used his seal on doors and letters, and to secure the wooden box.

Most sealings have been found in the offical part of the settlement: the administrative buildings, the yard in front of Tammitte's office and in front of Ili-pada's palace. This means that sealing goods and locking areas was part of the offical administration of the settlement. Civil servants and employees carried the responsibility for certain goods or storage rooms, and used their seal to control access.