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Weight-shaped seal. View of top surface. (Courtesy of the Vedat Nedim Tör Museum, Istanbul) -
Weight-shaped seal. View of bottom surface with carved figure seated on throne. (Courtesy of the Vedat Nedim Tör Museum, Istanbul)
Weight-shaped seal
The Lydians and their World
(2010)
Cat. 120
- Date
- Late Lydian (Persian)
- Museum
- Istanbul, Archaeological Museum, 4524
- Museum Inventory No.
- 4524
- Sardis or Museum Inv. No.
- IAM 4524
- Material
- Agate, Stone
- Object Type
- Jewelry and Ornaments, Seal
- Site
- Sardis
- Sector
- Nec
- Trench
- Butler Tomb 18
- Locus
- Butler Tomb 18
- Description
- Agate (?) weight-shaped seal, perforated but missing its mounting. The bottom surface is carved in intaglio with a figure wearing Persian court garb and a crenellated crown sitting on a throne, with an elaborate stretcher between the legs and a curved-over back, resting his feet on a footstool. The furniture stands on a ground line. In one hand, the figure holds what may be a flower, and in the other a round object that may represent the top of a staff (Dusinberre). Height 0.85 cm, greatest diameter of engraved face 1.45 cm.
- Comments
- From Sardis, Tomb 18. “In the same tomb were found gold band no. 13, chain no. 42, pendant no. 50, earrings nos. 60 and 82, and seal no. 121” (Curtis).
- See Also
- Dusinberre, “Seals”.
- Bibliography
- Curtis 1925, no. 123; Dusinberre 2003, fig. 94.
- Author
- ED