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Magnetite Cylinder Seal, Old Syrian period

Item Number:
Garrett 25
Collection Creator:
Princeton University. Library. Special Collections
Dates:
Old Syrian period
Located In:
Box 9
Languages:
Multiple languages are represented in this collection, including Samaritan Aramaic, among others.
Scope and Contents

Two registers: the lower one shows a devotional scene, the upper one shows heraldic motifs that appear to be decorative in nature. Lower register: a god with short hair and no beard sits r. on a two-niched throne, holding an axe over his r. shoulder and holding the other hand out. He wears a flounced garment. Before him is a recumbent bull recumbent l. on whose back stands the female figure who raises her skirt. In the field are a bird, a star, and two uncertain motifs. Terminal: two kusarikku stand facing one another, their faces shown frontally, holding a spear between themselves with both hands. Upper register: two recumbent sphinxes face one another, a star between them and a crescent over each's back; behind them an antelope recumbent l. with its head turned back; over its back another star.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Credit this material:

Magnetite Cylinder Seal; Stone Seals Collection, C0849, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (hsvm): Box 9
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Processing Information

Folder inventory added by Feng Zhu '14 in 2012.

Collection Overview

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Two registers: the lower one shows a devotional scene, the upper one shows heraldic motifs that appear to be decorative in nature. Lower register: a god with short hair and no beard sits r. on a two-niched throne, holding an axe over his r. shoulder and holding the other hand out. He wears a flounced garment. Before him is a recumbent bull recumbent l. on whose back stands the female figure who raises her skirt. In the field are a bird, a star, and two uncertain motifs. Terminal: two kusarikku stand facing one another, their faces shown frontally, holding a spear between themselves with both hands. Upper register: two recumbent sphinxes face one another, a star between them and a crescent over each's back; behind them an antelope recumbent l. with its head turned back; over its back another star.

Arrangement

Not arranged according to any arrangement scheme.

Collection History

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information

Folder inventory added by Feng Zhu '14 in 2012.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Magnetite Cylinder Seal; Stone Seals Collection, C0849, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
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Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (hsvm): Box 9

Find More

Other Finding Aids

The finding aid is comprised of two unpublished preliminary listings: (1) Rudolf H. Mayr, "Preliminary Checklist of Stone Seals in the Princeton University Library"; and (2) Albrecht Goetze, "Mesopotamian Seals in the Collection of Robert Garrett." Cyrus H. Gordon wrote several brief articles relating in whole or part to the Princeton collections: "Seals from Ancient Western Asia," Princeton University Library Chronicle, vol. 12, no. 2 (1951), pp. 49-54; "Near Eastern Saeals and Cuneiform Tablets," Princeton University Library Chronicle, vol. 14, no. 1 (1952), pp. 45-46; "Near Eastern Seals in Princeton and Philadelphia," Orientalia, new series, vol. 22, fasc. 3 (1953), pp. 242-50, plates 57-70. There is also one stone seal in the Scheide Library and a substantial collection of stone seals in the Princeton University Art Museum.

Names:
Balken, Edward Duff (1874-1960)
Pyne, M. Taylor (Moses Taylor) (1855-1921)
Garrett, Robert (1875-1961)