Hero fighting griffin

Object no. S04919
Description of the seal image A bearded hero grasps the foreleg of a rampant griffin with one hand and brandishes a sword with the other. He wears a double-belted, fringed and tasselled tunic decorated with a dot-in-square pattern. The hybrid creature appears to have a girdle around its genital area. Above its wing is a crescent moon.
Figures, motifs/symbols - crescent moon
- griffin: rampant, crested, winged, appears to have a neck ornament and a girdle around its genital area
- hero: bearded, wearing a double-belted, fringed and tasselled tunic decorated with a dot-in-square pattern, brandishing a sword
Subcategory cylinder seal
Collection Bible Lands Museum, Jerusalem
Museum number BLMJ 2781 – BLMJ Seal 426
Condition, shape slightly chipped upper and lower edges
Culture Middle Assyrian
First occurence 1987
Dimensions (mm): height, diameter h: 47, d: 18
Material and features "pinkish chalcedony"
Style modelled
Scene contest
Bibliography

Collon 1987, no. 45.



Collon, D.: “Cylinder Seal – Hero Struggling With Griffin”, in: Merhav, R. (ed.), Treasures of the Bible Lands: The Elie Borowski Collection. Tel Aviv 1987, no. 45



Collon 1995, 31–32 and fig. 16.



Collon, D.: “Nimrod, the Mighty Hunter, and his Descendants: Contest Scenes on Cylinder Seals”, in: Goodnick Westenholz, J. (ed.), Seals and Sealings in the Ancient Near East. Proceedings of the Symposium Held on September 2, 1993 Jerusalem, Israel. (Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem Publications 1) Jerusalem, 1995, 23–38.

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 description of the object done by HL based on the relevant publication provided, then object data and description were finalized by ZN (26 March 2026). HL – Huba Lőrincz, ZN – Zoltán Niederreiter
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