Divine World Glyptics
Az i.e. I. évezredi pecséthengerek korpusza
MTA–ELTE Lendület
Újasszír és Újbabiloni Pecséthengerek és Istenvilág Kutatócsoport
| Object no. | S02788 |
| Description of the seal image | A winged hero grasps a rampant human-headed winged lion (lamassu, sphinx) by the foreleg with one hand and holds a sickle sword (scimitar) with the other while stepping on a stumbling gazelle (antelope). He wears a feather-topped headdress and a broad-belted kilt decorated with a dot-in-square pattern. On either side of the hybride creature are an eight-rayed star and a crescent moon, respectively, while behind the two central figures are the spade of Marduk (marru) and the stylus of Nabu on separate stands. |
| Figures, motifs/symbols |
- crescent moon - gazelle (antelope): stumbling, head turned backwards - human-headed winged lion (lamassu, sphinx): rampant, beardless - spade of Marduk (marru): on a stand - star: eight-rayed - stylus of Nabu: on a stand - winged hero: bearded, four-winged, wearing a feather-topped headdress and a broad-belted kilt decorated with a dot-in-square pattern, holding a sickle sword (scimitar) |
| Subcategory | cylinder seal |
| Collection | Museum of Fine Arts Boston / MFA |
| Museum number | MFA 27.651 |
| Culture | Neo-Babylonian |
| Provenance | ex-Edward Perry Warren Collection; purchased by him in Paris; lent to the MFA by him on 28 October 1925; purchased by the MFA from him on 17 November 1927 |
| First occurence | before 1925 |
| Archaeological context | N/A |
| Registration number | N/A |
| Dimensions (mm): height, diameter | h: 38.3, d: 15 (Niederreiter 2020, 108 footnote 304) |
| Material and features | "chalcedony" |
| Style | modelled |
| Scene | contest |
| Bibliography |
Herzfeld 1938, 7–8 no. 65, Abb. 135 and Taf. XII. Herzfeld, E.: "Die Kunst des zweiten Jahrtausends in Vorderasien (II. Teil). An die mesopotamische Gruppe anzugliedernde Siegel". Archaeologische Mitteilungen aus Iran 9 (1938) 1–79. Porada 1947, 149–157 no. 3 and pl. III. Porada, E.: “Suggestions for the Classification of Neo-Babylonian Cylinder MFA: https://collections.mfa.org/objects/242386/ [accessed: 13-11-2023]. |
| 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 GE 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). GE – Gábor Erdős, HL – Huba Lőrincz, ZN – Zoltán Niederreiter, MNy – Mónika Nyitrai |