Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T21:27:40.213Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A CYLINDER SEAL FROM TELL ABU AL-DHAHAB DATED TO THE FIRST SEALAND DYNASTY (1740–1374 BC)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 September 2021

Ahmed K. Taher Al-Zubaidi  and
Mohammed S. Attia
Ahmed K. Taher Al-Zubaidi
Affiliation:
Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities, State Board for Antiquities and Heritage, Baghdad, [email protected]
Mohammed S. Attia
Affiliation:
Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities, State Board for Antiquities and Heritage, Baghdad, [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article presents a unique cylinder seal found at the site of Tell Abu al-Dhahab, in the Iraqi marshes. The cylinder seal, made of alabaster, is dated to the First Sealand Dynasty period and contains a scene with an introduction to a seated deity. It is accompanied by an inscription identifying the father of its owner as the overseer of the incantation priests. The aim of the article is both to discuss the cylinder seal, but also contextualize it within the temple where it was found and the period to which it is dated.

تقدم هذه المقالة ختم أسطواني فريد من نوعه عثر عليه في موقع تل أبو الذهب، في منطقة الأهوار العراقية، وهو واحد من أعقد الأنظمة البيئية في العراق . يعود تاريخ هذا الختم الأسطواني المصنوع من المرمر الى فترة سلالة القطر البحري الأولى ويظهر عليه مشهد لإله جالس يصاحبه نص يحدد هوية أبي مالك الختم بأنه المشرف على كهنة التعويذ . الغرض من هذه المقالة هو مناقشة موضوع هذا الختم الأسطواني وكذلك تحديد أهميته ضمن المعبد الذي عثر على الختم فيه والى الفترة التي يعود اليها وهي سلالة القطر البحري الأولى، التي بدأ ظهور معلومات أكثر عنها في السنين القليلة الماضية .

Type
Research Article
Information
IRAQ , Volume 83 , December 2021 , pp. 13 - 24
Copyright
Copyright © The British Institute for the Study of Iraq 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abboud, T. K., Mirza, A. N., Sawadi, K. O., Taher, A. K., Abdel-Razzaq, J. A.-A. and Attia, A. A.-R. 2015. (الموسم الأول سنة 2011) نتائج التنقيبات في تل أبو الذهب (Results of the Excavations in Tell Abu Al-Dhahab [the first season, 2011]). Sumer 61: 29–30.Google Scholar
Abdel Mohsen, I.M. 2018. “The forked lightning bolt in Ancient Mesopotamia”. وقائع تاريخية (Historical Facts, https://journals.ekb.eg/article_86813.html, accessed 11.08.21) 29: 1–50 (Article 10).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Al-Ahmed, S. S. 1985. تاريخ الخليج العربي من أقدم الأزمنة حتى التحرير العربي (History of the Arab Gulf from the Earliest Times until the Arab Liberation). Basra: Basra University Press.Google Scholar
Al-Ghanimi, F. M. M. 2012. مشاهد الصراع على الاختام حتى نهاية الألف الثالث قبل الميلاد (Struggle Scenes on Seals until the End of the Third Millennium B.C.). Unpublished Master's Thesis. Baghdad: University of Baghdad - College of Arts - Department of Archaeology.Google Scholar
Al-Hamdani, A. 2015. The Shadow States. The Archaeology of Power in the Marshes of Southern Mesopotamia. A dissertation presented by Abdulameer al-Dafar to the Graduate School in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology (archaeology). New York: Stony Brook University.Google Scholar
Al-Hamdani, A. 2020. “The Settlement and Canal Systems during the First Sealand Dynasty (1721–1340 BCE)”. In Paulus and Clayden 2020. Pp. 27–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Al-Jubouri, A. Y. 2016. قاموس اللغة السومرية-الأكدية-العربية (Sumerian-Akkadian-Arabic Dictionary). Emirates: National Book House.Google Scholar
Al-Khattabi, A. S. A. 2011. خصائص المعبد العمارية من عصر فجر السلالات إلى نهاية العصر البابلي القديم (Architectural Characteristics of the Temple from the Early Dynastic Era to the End of the Old Babylonian Era). Unpublished Master's Thesis. Mosul: University of Mosul - College of Arts - Department of Archeology.Google Scholar
Al-Saadi, H. A. A.-H. 2015. وظائف الألهة في بلاد الرافدين (Functions of the Gods in Mesopotamia). Unpublished Doctoral Thesis. Baghdad: University of Baghdad - College of Arts - Department of Archaeology.Google Scholar
Al-Shaker, F. M. F. A. 2002. -رموز أهم الآلهة في العراق القديم – دراسة تحليلية دلالية (Symbols of the Most Important Deities in Ancient Iraq - An Analytical Semantic Study). Unpublished Master's Thesis. Mosul: University of Mosul - College of Arts - Department of History.Google Scholar
Al-Zubaidi, A. K. T. 2013. تل أبو شيجة "مدينة باشيمي " في ضوء نتائج التنقيبات الأثرية (Tell Abu Sheeja “Bashimi City” in light of the results of archaeological excavations). Unpublished Master's thesis. Baghdad: University of Baghdad - College of Arts - Department of Archeology.Google Scholar
Al-Zubaidi, A. K. T. 2017. (الأدوار الحضارية المكتشفة في منطقة أهوار جنوب بلاد الرافدين (هورا الحمار والصحين إنموذجاً (The cultural roles discovered in the marshes of southern Mesopotamia [Hor Al-Hammar and Al-Sahin as an example]). Unpublished Doctoral thesis. Baghdad: University of Baghdad - College of Arts - Department of Archeology.Google Scholar
Attia, M. S. 2013. التقرير النهائي موقع أبو الذهب محافظة ذي قار الموسم الثالث 2013 (Abu Al-Dhahab Site, Dhi Qar Governorate, the third Season, 2013). Baghdad: State Board of Antiquities and Heritage - Excavations Investigation Department - Excavations Department.Google Scholar
Baqer, T., 1986. مقدمة في تاريخ الحضارات القديمة، ج 1 (Introduction to the History of Ancient Civilizations, Part 1). Baghdad: Al-Warraq Publishing House.Google Scholar
Boivin, O. 2016. “On the Origin of the Goddess Ištar of the Sealand, Ayyabītu”. N.A.B.U. 2016/1: 24–26, no. 15.Google Scholar
Boivin, O. 2018. The First Dynasty of the Sealand in Mesopotamia. SANER 20. Berlin: DeGruyter.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boivin, O. 2020. “The Palace as Economic Production Unit in the Kingdom of the First Dynasty of the Sealand”. In Paulus and Clayden 2020. Pp. 190–204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bottero, J. 1990. Mesopotamia: Writing, Reasoning and the Gods (Arabic Version), translated into Arabic by Father Albert Abona. Baghdad: General Cultural Affairs House.Google Scholar
Campbell, S., Killick, R., Calderbank, D., Robson, E., Shepperson, M. and Slater, F., 2017. “Tell Khaiber: An Administrative Centre of the Sealand Period”, Iraq 79: 21–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Charpin, D. 1990. “Les divinités familiales des Babyloniens d'après les légendes de leurs sceaux-cylindres”. In: Tunca, Ö. (ed.) De la Babylonie à la Syrie, en passant par Mari. (Mélanges J.-R. Kupper). Liège: Université de Liège. Pp. 59–78.Google Scholar
Collon, D. 1986. Catalogue of the Western Asiatic Seals in the British Museum, Vol. III. London: British Museum.Google Scholar
Collon, D. 1987. First Impressions: Cylinder seals in the Ancient Near East. London: British Museum.Google Scholar
Collon, D. 2007. Babylonian Seals. In: Leick, G. (ed.), The Babylonian World: 95–123. NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Dalley, S. 2009. Babylonian Tablets from the First Sealand Dynasty in the Schøyen Collection. CUSAS 9. Bethesda: CDL.Google Scholar
Dalley, S. 2020. “The First Sealand Dynasty: Literacy, Economy, and the Likely Location of Dūr-Enlil(ē) in Southern Mesopotamia at the End of the Old Babylonian Period.” In: Paulus, S. and Clayden, T. (eds) 2020. Pp. 9–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Damerji, M. S. B. 1987. The Development of the Architecture of Door and Gates in Ancient Mesopotamia. Tokyo: Institute for Cultural Studies of Ancient Iraq, Kokushikan University.Google Scholar
Dougherty, R. P. 1934. The Sealand of Ancient Arabia. YOS 19. New Haven: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Frankfort, H. 1939. Cylinder Seals: a documentary essay on the art and religion of the ancient Near East. London: Macmillan.Google Scholar
Greengus, S. 1986. Studies in Ishchali Documents. Bibliotheca Mesopotamica 19. Malibu: Undena Publications.Google Scholar
Hanoun, N. 2006. المدافن والمعابد في حضارة بلاد الرافدين القديمة دراسة عن الشعائر والعمارة في النصوص المسمارية والآثار (Cemeteries and Temples in Ancient Mesopotamian Civilization, A Study on Rituals and Architecture of Cuneiform Texts and Archaeology, Part 2). 1st edition. Damascus: Dar Al-Khorayef Publishing and Distribution.Google Scholar
Heinrich, E. 1982. Die Tempel und Heiligtümer im Alten Mesopotamien. Typologie, Morphologie und Geschichte. Unter Mitarbeit von Ursula Seidl. Deutsches Archälogisches Institut. Denkmäler Antiker Architektur Bd. 14. Berlin: De Gruyter.Google Scholar
Hussein, A. M., Hamza, H. A., Taher, A. K., Kadhum, S. J., Hashem, M. T., Taha, H. M., Altaweel, M. R., and Studevent-Hickman, B. 2010. “Tell Abu Sheeja – Ancient PaṦime – Report on the First Season of Excavations, 2007”. Akkadica 131: 47–103.Google Scholar
Hussein, L. M. 1991. الكاهن في العصر البابلي القديم (The Priest in the Old Babylonian era). Unpublished master's thesis. Baghdad: University of Baghdad - College of Arts - Department of Archeology.Google Scholar
Khalaf, S. A. 2011. دراسة تحليلية لأختام أسطوانية غير منشورة من العصر البابلي القديم في المتحف العراقي (Analytical Study of Unpublished Cylinder Seals from the Old Babylonian Era in the Iraq Museum). Unpublished Master's Thesis. Baghdad: University of Baghdad - College of Arts - Department of Archeology.Google Scholar
Labat, R. 1988. Religious Beliefs in Mesopotamia - Selections from Babylonian Texts (Arabic Version). Translated by: Abona, Father A., Al-Jader, W.. Baghdad: Higher Education Press.Google Scholar
Moortgat, A. 1975. الفن في العراق القديم (Art in Ancient Iraq). Translated by Salman, I. and Al-Tikriti, S. T.. Baghdad: Al-Adib al-Ghaddiya Press.Google Scholar
Naji, A. 1985. ،ج 4، " الأختام الإسطوانية "، حضارة العراق (The Cylinder Seals, The Civilization of Iraq, Part 4). Baghdad: Freedom House for Printing.Google Scholar
Nissen, H. J. 1977. “Aspects of the Development of Early Cylinder Seals”. In: Gibson, M. and Biggs, R. D. (eds) Seals and Sealings in the Ancient Near East. Bibliotheca Mesopotamica 6. Malibu: Undena Publications. Pp. 15–24.Google Scholar
Oates, J. 1986. Babylon. With 137 Illustrations. London: Thames and Hudson.Google Scholar
Oppenheim, L. 1986. Mesopotamia (Arabic Version). Translated by: Abdul-Razzaq, S. F.. Baghdad: House of General Cultural Affairs.Google Scholar
Paulus, S. 2018. “Fraud, Forgery, and Fiction. Is there still hope for Agum-Kakrime?” Journal of Cuneiform Studies 70, 115–166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paulus, S. and Clayden, T. (eds) 2020. Babylonia under the Sealand and Kassite Dynasties. Berlin: DeGruyter.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Porada, E. 1948. The Collection of Pierpont Morgan Library. Corpus of Ancient Near Eastern Seals in North American Collections Vol. 1. Washington: Pantheon Books.Google Scholar
Porada, E. 1993. “Why Cylinder Seals? Engraved Cylindrical Seal Stones of the Ancient Near East, Fourth to First Millennium B.C.” The Art Bulletin 75(4): 563–582.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ranke, F. H. 1905. Early Babylonian Personal Names. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rashid, S. A. and Al-Houri, H. A. 1983. الأختام الأكدية في المتحف العراقي (Akkadian Seals in the Iraqi Museum). Baghdad.Google Scholar
Shaker, M. 2005. موسوعة الخليج العربي (The Encyclopaedia of the Arab Gulf). Amman.Google Scholar
Shepperson, M. 2020. “An Architectural Analysis of the Sealand Building at Tell Khaiber, Southern Iraq”. Iraq 82: 207–226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schwemer, D. 2001. Die Wettergottgestalten Mesopotamiens und Nordsyriens im Zeitalter der Keilschriftkulturen. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.Google Scholar
Schwemer, D. 2007. “The storm-gods of the ancient Near East: summary, synthesis, recent studies, part I”. Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions 7: 121–168;CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schwemer, D. 2008. “The storm-gods of the ancient Near East: summary, synthesis, recent studies, part II”. Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions 8: 1–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar