We’re exploring themes from the current Getty Villa exhibition "Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins," and today’s theme is cylinder seals!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ In Mesopotamia, engraved stones were used as seals as early as the fifth millennium BC, first in the form of stamps and later in the form of cylinders, whose images were impressed by rolling them on soft clay tablets and sealings. These impressions served as a sort of signature or mark of authentication. ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ This Neo-Babylonian cylinder seal, which is only about an inch high, is carved from a vibrant reddish stone called carnelian or cornelian. Its engraved scene shows a person standing before a seated deity and making an offering. ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ This seal is noteworthy for the survival of its gold caps, which allowed it to be worn as an amulet. These gold settings could also be engraved with decoration. Swipe to see the underside of the seal's lower cap, which bears an image of an ibex standing atop a stylized mountain. ⁠⁠ .⁠⁠ .⁠⁠ .⁠⁠ 🏷 #GettyVilla #h...