Worshiper before two altars

Download image: 
between 600 B.C. and 401 B.C.
lapis lazuli
39 x 18 mm
Morgan Seal 781
Provenance: 
Acquired by Pierpont Morgan sometime between 1885 and 1908.
Notes: 

"Most of the seals of this group [781-788] show a worshiper standing before divine symbols. The Babylonian origin of these cylinders is well attested by the appearance of the same theme, similarly rendered, in seal impressions on Neo-Babylonian tablets. The earliest of these date from the time of Nebuchadrezzar II, in the earlier half of the sixth century B.C., the latest from the time of Darius II, at the end of the fifth century. In contrast to the manner in which Assyrian worshipers are postured, the worshiper in this group of seals is depicted as gesturing with one hand only. Moreover, his garment has folds at the back and fringe only at the bottom (781, 784, 785). The symbols approached by the worshiper are often placed on stands shaped like temples. Celestial symbols, such as the linear crescent, are placed on a curious object, perhaps a stone, that rests on such a stand." . Porada, CANES, p. 95

Summary: 

Worshiper before two altars. On first altar, crescent mounted on stone(?), on second, sitting dog.

Place: 
Southern Mesopotamia.
Classification: 
Department: