Stamp Seal

note on box reads "Neo-Assyrian"

bluish white color. cone shaped with convex face. bull man with horned mitre with one hand raised and other holding a pole. pole rises from a knoll and supports an equilateral cross with rays between its arms on top. figure and pole placed on horizontal slab marked by undulating line. probably represents one of the sculptured figures in a temple. mitre appears to be Iranian.

CBS Register: cone-shaped seal in agate

PBS XIV: The bullman Eabani touching or holding with both hands two ashera or door posts symbols of a gate. They support an emblem of the sun and rest on a small mount at the surface of the liquid abyss. Eabani has a round mitre with three lines around and a horn like ornament behind, long hanging hair and beard, a three-fold belt, the legs and tail of a bull but not ithyphallic. He has the usual attitude of the porters opening the gates of the morning sun. The gate is divided by double lines into three panels filled with chevrons. It rests as in most cases on a small mount or door socket. The liquid abyss extending below is found again on the famous image of the Sun god of Sippar. The sun emblem above is the usual cross with streams of rays between the branches.

An inscription in cuneiform characters seems to give the name of the hero. “Zi-ha.”

It is an uncommon name meaning the god who seizes, catches, retains fishes. A god Zi-suhur is mentioned earlier and his name has nearly the same meaning. Perhaps they refer to Eabani who, together with Gilgamesh, was an attendant of Shamash and also Ea, controlling the morning gates or at least holding the spouting vase. The fishman is often represented holding a spouting vase. Cone seal with convex face. Blue chalcedony, 23 x 21mm