THE cylinder seal shown in PlateIV was found in the second Assyrian stratum of Tell Billa, but, as Dr. E. A. Speiser points out, it is obvious that it dates back to the third millennium B. C. (In this connection compare the Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, volume 47, pages 4 and following.) Owing to long and constant use, it is slightly damaged at one end. The dimensions are forty-two by thirty-eight millimeters, and the material is apparently black diorite.
The seal, which depicts two naked ‘priests,’ a house and a boat, was singled out as being of unusual significance by Dr. Walter Andræ, the eminent archaeologist, who is Professor at the University of Berlin and Director of the Vorderasiatische Abteilung of the Berliner Staatsmuseen. In a letter to Dr. Speiser, written after a recent visit to the scene of excavations at Tell Billa and Tepe Gawra, Dr. Andræ stated that this seal would form an important addition to the material for a forthcoming publication of his, and he expressed the hope that the Museum would publish this specimen at an early date. We are glad to follow Dr. Andræ’s suggestion and to present here a reproduction.
Image Number: 43006