Name: SYRIAN EROTIC CYLINDER SEAL
Time: c. 200 BC
Location: Syria

Man's first calling card! Small, handy and always available around the owners neck. The first civilization to use the cylinder seal as a means of identifying property were the URUK of southern Mesopotamia around 3500 BC. The original seals were made from materials such as quartz and granite. The stone was cut from a layered mass and gradually chipped into a nearly perfect round cylinder. The surface was then polished, a hole bored in the center and the image carved with representations unique to the owner, his occupation or activities.

ID#: SYCJ901Z