between 2340 B.C. and 2150 B.C.
lapis lazuli ;
Morgan Seal 177
Description
1 cylinder seal : lapis lazuli ; 19 x 11 mm
Provenance
Acquired by Pierpont Morgan sometime between 1885 and 1908.
Notes
"The battles of gods in 173-177 constitute a well-known Akkad subject... Of these, only 175 and 177 offer features not found elsewhere... In 177, one of the gods carries a hoe similar to that wielded by a god building a shrine in the scene of a contemporaneous seal. It is possible that the hoe is meant to symbolize the whole theme of the building of a shrine in relation to a battle of gods, as set forth in full elaboration in the contemporaneous seal just mentioned." Porada, CANES, p. 23
Summary
God with hoe wrestling with second god -- Feather-crowned figure attacked by bearded hero, between them small figure menacing hero with dagger.
Catalog link
Classification
Place
Southern Mesopotamia.
Department