Akkadian Limestone Cylinder Seal with Animal Combat Scene

Culture: Mesopotamia/Akkadian

Period: 2400-2200 B.C.

Material: Limestone

Dimensions: 2.8 cm high

Price: Sold

Ref: 6679

Provenance: From the Austrian collection of Danho Abdul Massich, acquired in 1978 and since then in Austria.

Condition: Intact

Description: Akkadian cylinder seal depicting a dynamic combat scene between three lions and an ibex. The animals stand upright on their hind legs. The ibex turns its head to the left, confronting the wide-open jaws of a lion. Behind it stands another lion whose body is simultaneously overlapped by the lion to the right of the ibex. These interlocking figures are characteristic of Akkadian glyptic art. When rolled out, the struggle repeats in an endless frieze, intended to emphasise the eternal nature of the conflict. For comparisons to the type of crossed lion bodies, see the cylinder seal in the British Museum with registration number 1929,1017.356. With beautiful age patina.