Discoid seal engraved on both faces
Unknown Artist
ca. 1400–1200 BCE
Medium
Red steatite
Dimensions
Diameter: 2.17 cm Height: .68 cm String Hole: 0.4 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
99.22.4
Art Historical Context
This exquisite discoid seal, crafted from polished red steatite around 1400–1200 BCE the height of the Hittite Empire exemplifies the artistry of ancient Anatolia's Bronze Age powerhouse. Measuring just 2.17 cm in diameter and .68 cm thick, with a 0.4 cm string hole suspension, its compact form made it ideal for personal or administrative use. The Hittites, who ruled a vast realm from modern-day Turkey to Syria, mastered such seals as portable emblems of authority, identity, and protection. Engraved on both faces—a rare feature—this stone stamp would have been rolled or pressed into soft clay...