First Impressions: Cylinder Seals in the Ancient Near East - Softcover

Collon, Dominique

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0714111368 ISBN 13: 9780714111360

Publisher: British Museum Press, 2006

Synopsis

The Ancient Near East has a fascinating and unique source of pictorial information in the form of miniature reliefs produced by the impressions of cylinder seals. This is the most comprehensive introductory survey of cylinder seals yet published. The small cylinders, generally of stone and engraved with a design, were made from about 3300 to 300 BC and were rolled out on lumps of clay used for sealing goods and writing tablets, leaving an impression in relief. The designs on them are intricate and varied and are a major source of information for the art historian, the student of theology and the Biblical scholar. They are also a dating tool for the archaeologist and a source of aesthetic pleasure for collectors and all who study them. The author considers the history of their use and the evidence they provide for trade, technology, religion, architecture, farming, warfare and other central themes in the history of the Near East.

About this title

About the Author:

Dominique Collon recently retired as a curator at the British Museum and is a leading authority on cylinder seals, having published a number of scholarly studies on the subject. Her other books include Objects in Focus: The Queen of the Night (BMP 2005), Ancient Near Eastern Art, and Interpreting the Past: Near Eastern Seals.

About this edition

• Publisher: British Museum Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0714111368
• ISBN 13: 9780714111360
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208