Important Old Syrian Hematite Cylinder Seal with the Depiction of the Cosmic Order

Culture: Levante

Period: 1800-1700 B.C.

Material: Hematite

Dimensions: 3.2 cm high

Price: Sold

Ref: 6682

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

Condition: Intact

Description: In several registers worked out hematite seal from a workshop in northern Syria, possibly from Yamhad with its capital city Halab, today’s Aleppo. The complex depiction shows a cosmic order. The foundation is formed by the benevolent demon Lahmu, who, with legs spread wide open, lifts a celestial arch upon which flows a guilloche, representing the eternal stream of life-giving water. Above the band sit a lion and an antelope, guardians of nature. At the centre of the depiction is a winged naos, a shrine resting on the back of a mighty bull. The bull is restrained by a rope at its nose – a symbol that divine order controls the wild forces of nature. Inside the shrine, the naked goddess of fertility is revealed. She is the source of life protected in the holy space. Five genii, sharing the same features and headcover as the fertility goddess, dance on the wings and the roof of the shrine. They are welcomed by a tall guardian goddess with raised arms. She is the intermediary, who in the one hand holds the rope, which restrains the bull and on the other hand collects the high energy of the genii to offer it to the humans. On the other side of the naos stands a large figure covered in a Syrian magnificent cloak with a beaded hem, possibly the former owner of the seal. He observes with hidden arms the occurrence and is the calming figure in this whirling cosmos of dance, power and divine presence. See for type the ancient Syrian cylinder seal with the naked goddess in the winged naos and with guilloche in the British Museum with museum number 89122.