Cupola seal, engraved on back and face
Unknown Artist
ca. 1400–1200 BCE
Medium
Black steatite
Dimensions
Diameter: 1.74 cm Height: 1.16 cm String Hole: 0.3 cm
Classification
Stone-Stamp Seals
Culture & Period
Hittite · Hittite Empire
Department
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, 1899
Accession Number
99.22.9
Art Historical Context
This exquisite cupola seal, crafted from glossy black steatite around 1400–1200 BCE, exemplifies the refined artistry of the Hittite Empire in ancient Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). Measuring just 1.74 cm in diameter and .16 cm high, with a 0.3 cm string for suspension, it was likely worn as a personal amulet or used to imprint designs into soft clay for authentication—sealing documents, goods, or magical incantations. The seal's distinctive dome-like (cupola) shape and engravings on both back and face highlight the Hittites' mastery of miniature stone carving, a technique that allowed for intr...