Divine World Glyptics
Az i.e. I. évezredi pecséthengerek korpusza
MTA–ELTE Lendület
Újasszír és Újbabiloni Pecséthengerek és Istenvilág Kutatócsoport
| Object no. | S02914 |
| Description of the seal image | Enkidu and Gilgamesh kill the Bull of Heaven. Enkidu grabs it by the wing with one hand and brandishes a weapon in the other while stepping on the hybrid creature's back. He wears a headband and a triple-belted tunic and has a sword or mace at his waist. Gilgamesh, on the other side, grabs the horns of the winged bull with both hands. He wears a tall headdress and a long, tiered and fringed, open robe over a short tunic and has a cape on his back. He is further armed with a short weapon at his waist. Above the Bull of Heaven is a three-line cuneiform inscription framed and separated by rulings. One cuneiform sign is in front of the creature's head. |
| Figures, motifs/symbols |
- hero 1: Enkidu, bearded, wearing a headband and a triple-belted tunic, has a sword or mace at his waist, brandishing a weapon - hero 2: Gilgamesh, bearded, wearing a tall headdress, a cape and a long, tiered and fringed, open robe over a short tunic, armed with a short weapon at his waist - human-headed winged bull (aladlammu): Bull of Heaven, stumbling - inscription: cuneiform, three lines, framed and separated by rulings |
| Subcategory | cylinder seal |
| Collection | The Metropolitan Museum of Art / The MET / MMA |
| Museum number | MMA 1987.96.10 (MMA L.1986.47.37) |
| Condition, shape | chipped upper and lower edges |
| Culture | Neo-Babylonian |
| Provenance | ex-Martin and Sarah Cherkasky Collection (New York); on loan to the MMA by Martin and Sarah Cherkasky from 1986; gifted by them to the MMA in 1987 |
| First occurence | before 1986 |
| Archaeological context | N/A |
| Registration number | N/A |
| Dimensions (mm): height, diameter | h: 34, d: 14 |
| Material and features | "chalcedony" (Aruz 1987); flawed and veined neutral chalcedony (quartz)" (MMA) |
| Style | cut, modelled |
| Scene | contest, mythological |
| Writing system, language | cuneiform |
| Translation | N/A |
| Bibliography |
Aruz 1987, 45, 71 and 80 no. 69. Aruz, J.: "The Great Empires of the First Millennium B.C.". In: Pittman, H.: Ancient Art in Miniature: Near Eastern Seals from the Collection of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky. New York, 1987, 42–46. MMA: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327288 [accessed: 14-12-2023]. |
| Object history | The publications mentioning the objects in this database were collected and the objects classified by ZN; data for the present object was input and preliminary description of the object done by GWN based on the relevant publication provided, then the data was checked by MNy and the present object descriptions done by HL; object data and description were finalized by ZN (03 March 2026). HL – Huba Lőrincz, ZN – Zoltán Niederreiter, MNy – Mónika Nyitrai, ER – Erika Roboz |