We’re exploring themes from the current Getty Villa exhibition “Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins”—today’s theme is cylinder seals. The Mesopotamians were meticulous record keepers. Most official documents were written on clay tablets and needed to be signed and verified. But how did they do this? Instead of using handwritten signatures like we do today, they used small stone cylinders carved with figural scenes and/or an inscription identifying the owner. To “seal” a document, the owner would simply roll the cylinder along the edge of the clay tablet, impressing the carved scene onto its surface. These tiny objects are masterpieces of miniature carving. This cylinder seal is less than two inches tall and it belonged to a royal scribe named Ibni Sharrum in the third millennium BC. Next to the seal is a modern impression that shows the full scene when rolled out onto clay. The scene is of two men with elaborate curled hairstyles offering flowing water to water buffalo. These my...