A WESTERN ASIATIC CARNELIAN CYLINDER SEAL

DIYALA REGION, CIRCA 2100-1800 B.C.

Details

A WESTERN ASIATIC CARNELIAN CYLINDER SEAL
Diyala Region, Circa 2100-1800 B.C.
With two standing figures, to the right a man in a brimmed hat and a long flounced robe holding a small cup in one hand, the other hand held at his waist, and to the left a woman wearing a similar robe and perhaps a hat, extending one hand, the other hand held at her waist, the terminal a three-line inscription in Babylonian cuneiform with an extra sign added in the design, reading "Kelesh-atal, king of Karahar, Balalatum, wife"
21.5 x 7.5 mm

Lot Essay

This seal comes from Karahar, a place in the Diyala Valley not so far identified. It is contemporary with or slightly later than the Third Dynasty of Ur. The seal belonged to Balalatum, the wife of the king, Kelesh-atal, otherwise unknown, but bearing a Hurrian name. Balalatum, perhaps a Semitic name, is also known only from this seal.

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