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This cylinder seal was made from a piece of black stone. It would have been rolled onto clay to produce a unique impression, or "signature," that was used either to indicate ownership or to safeguard personal possessions. This seal shows Ishtar, goddess of love and war, who is identified by the maces and scimitars that project from her shoulders and by the lion that she restrains with a rope and her foot.

Shell Make-up Container

Name: Cylinder Seal with the Goddess Ishtar

Material: Stone

Size:
Length: 4.2 cm (1.65 in)
Diameter: 2.5 cm (0.98 in)

Date: 2350-2100 BCE

Place of Origin: Unknown

Location: Oriental Institute Museum, Chicago, Illinois

Source and Registration#: Link to resource (accessed May 7. 2010).

Jennie Myers

Research Associate, University of Chicago