Mesopotamian Stone Seal Amulet

Western Mesopotamia, c. 600 BC.

Fascinating, finely carved small-sized and pillar-shaped black stone (steatite) seal amulet decorated with geometric designs on three sides. Pierced through longitidinally at the top. Mesopotamia was an ancient region in southwestern Asia where the world’s earliest civilization developed. The name comes from the ancient Greek root words “meso,” meaning between, and “potamos,” meaning river and translates to "(land) between rivers", referring to the fertile valleys between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, but the region can be broadly defined to include the vast area that is now Iraq, and parts of Iran, Syria, Kuwait, and Turkey. Mesopotamia was the home of many different civilizations spanning thousands of years which contributed significantly to world culture and progress. These civilizations include Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and Chaldean, which individually arose and formed governments in this region. For about 3000 years, Mesopotamia remained the greatest force in the Near East. In 539 BC, Cyrus the Great captured Babylon and incorporated Mesopotamia into the Persian Empire. Periods of Greek and Parthian rule followed, and by about 100 AD Mesopotamian culture had effectively come to an end.

Good condition. Age-related wear and abrasion. Minor chip. Mineral encrustation. Size approx. 1,3cm x 0,8cm x 0,9cm.

Provenance: Dutch private collection.

References and further reading:

Mesopotamia, Joshua J. Mark, World History Encyclopedia. Last modified March 14, 2018. (https://www.worldhistory.org/Mesopotamia/.)

Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins, The J. Paul Getty Museum. (https://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/mesopotamia/explore.html)