The Archaeological Object File: Cylinder Seals of Ancient Mesopotamia

THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL OBJECT FILE

Cylinder Seals of Ancient Mesopotamia

How to read an ancient object

What can a tiny stone cylinder tell us about the people who made and used it?

More than you might think!

Cylinder seals are some of the most fascinating objects to survive from ancient Mesopotamia. They carried images, names, symbols and scenes into the everyday lives of ancient people; appearing on administrative documents, objects and containers and connecting individuals with institutions.

But how do archaeologists actually interpret them?

This 25+ page illustrated archaeological guide takes you behind the object.

Inside, you will discover:

• what cylinder seals were and how they worked

• who used them and why

• how archaeologists interpret their imagery

• why archaeological context matters

• how administrative, domestic and mortuary contexts can change our understanding of an object

• fascinating examples from ancient Mesopotamia

• what we can, and cannot, confidently say about ancient imagery

• a practical framework for analysing archaeological objects yourself

• a printable Archaeological Object Analysis Sheet

• a carefully selected academic bibliography for further reading

It is an introduction to thinking like an archaeologist.

Created by The Academic Archaeologist, drawing on specialist research into Mesopotamian and Iranian glyptic.