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. Images might have included figures in some activity, animals such as the one on our reproduction or other types of figures.

ID #: SYCJ001D