An early Near Eastern Gable Seal, Halaf Period, ca. 6000 - 5000 BCE
MA2211
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This high-sided gable seal has a deeply-cut face sectioned into four squares, each with a star pattern engraved into the surface. The sides and back of the seal have lightly incised linear patterns, and a hole pierced through the back for suspension.
Stamp seals were used in a similar way to modern signet rings: a negative object used to impress a design into another material, often clay. They are common from around 7000 BCE and have remained in use in parts of the world continuously until the present day.
For a similar example, see: British Museum collection number 125559. cf: Denham, Simon, Late Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic Glyphs and Stamp Seals In the British Museum. London: The British Museum Press, 2018.
Medium: Black Steatite
Dimensions: Length: 1 inch (2.5 cm), Width: 7/8 inch (2.2 cm), Height: 5/8 inch (1.58 cm)
Condition: With expected surface losses, overall intact.
Provenance: David Liebert, NY, collection acquired in the 1980s, thereafter a private NYC collection.
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