Ancient Near East, Syria, Tell Halaf, ca. 4500 BCE. Two ancient stone seals. The first is a roughly square form, made from a white-beige steatite, depicting a stylized set of lines that appear woven together. The back of the seal has a small grip pierced for suspension. The second is pyramidal in form, made from a black steatite, its surface decorated by crossed lines; it is also pierced for suspension. These are early examples of seals, made before there was any kind of representative or hieroglyphic language. Seals were used for all official government business, from sealing documents to sealing jars full of grain in agricultural transactions, and having a personalized mark was important. Size of largest: 0.75" L x 0.7" W x 0.95" H (1.9 cm x 1.8 cm x 2.4 cm)

Provenance: purchased by present owner at Drouot in Paris, France in the 1970s; previously in an old French collection

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#121181

Wear on surfaces of both. They are attached with wires to a cardboard backing with a typewritten French label and come with an impression in clay of the larger seal.