Cylinder Seal

CBS Register: Babylonian seal cylinder, fragment, shell

PBS XIV: The worshiping of the Serpent god. An old and rare scene, unfortunately broken. The bearded deity, whose body is formed of a serpent coil, extends one hand toward an hourglass shaped altar, over which are placed three branches, ears or palms (?). He is approached by a divine assistant pouring a libation with one hand, while lifting the other in sign of adoration. This assistant has, like the god, a horned mitre or perhaps a simple fillet about his head, a long beard, his hair tied in a loop behind and a plaited skirt reaching to his ankles and leaving naked the upper body. There is a gate behind, perhaps an emblem of the shrine, and a star above the altar, suggesting a morning or evening sacrifice. Cyl. seal. Shell, 25 x 15 mm.