Stamp Seal with Marduk and Nabu Worship Scene

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Stamp Seal with Marduk and Nabu Worship Scene

Artist Unidentified

Period Neo-Assyrian Empire (Assyrian, 911-612 BCE)

Period Neo-Babylonian Empire (Babylonian, 612-539 BCE)

Place of OriginLikely Iraq

Date800-539 BCE

Dimensions15/16 in. (2.4 cm)

Mediumstone

ClassificationJewelry

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1906.92

Not on View

DescriptionThis small stamp seal is made of blue chalcedony and measures 1.9 cm in diameter at the base and 2.5 cm in height. It features a domed back and a carved flat base depicting a bearded man standing before a grouping of spears, a stylus, and divine symbols. Above the scene appear a double crescent and a star. The carving is executed in intaglio using stone-cutting techniques typical of the first millennium BCE. Pierced crosswise for threading.

Label TextCarved in the first millennium BCE, this blue chalcedony stamp seal belonged to a society where such objects functioned as both personal ID and sacred amulet. Its imagery includes a bearded man—likely a worshipper—standing before divine emblems: a stylus for Nabu (god of writing) and a grouping of spears, possibly referencing Marduk (god of power and kingship). A double crescent and star above suggest cosmic significance. Seals like this were impressed into clay tablets, securing legal and economic records with an individual’s personal mark. Chalcedony’s hardness made it ideal for such intaglio carving, while its blue hue may have symbolized celestial or divine power. The seal’s compact form hints at it being worn or carried for daily use.Comparative ReferencesVon Der Osten, H.H., Ancient Oriental Seals in the Collection of Mr. Edward T. Newell, (OIP XXII), University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1934, pl. XXXVI.