HTS First Year, Architectural Association 2021-2022

Course Lecturer: Pier Vittorio Aureli

Course Tutor: Alexandra Vougia

Seminar Tutor: Katerina Zacharopoulou

A Survey of Architecture and Urban History

AAFY - Aryan Sarode

Figure 1 - Cylinder seal and modern impression, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326721
 3000 Year Old Impressions

Cylinder Seals were impression stamps utilized by individuals of old Mesopotamia. Known as Kishib
in Sumerian and Kunukku in Akkadian, the seals were utilized by everybody, from royals to slaves, as
a method for validating personality in correspondence and are among the most interesting and
revealing relics recovered from ancient Uruk. They were the fundamental piece of day to day
existence in antiquated Mesopotamia and recounts the narrative life of the individuals. The
managerial utilization of cylinder seals began during the Middle Uruk Period as indicated by finds
from the site of Sharafabad and proceeded until approximately 300 BC when the utilization started
to vanish.

From the figure 1 we can see the impression strip of the cylinder seal on the left, the use of cylinder
seals is provided in the archaeological record through the seals themselves and through ‘sealings’,
pieces of clay or tablets which were impressed with a cylinder seal when wet. Cylinder seals are
valuable as they can describe the sequential improvement of imaginative styles and iconographic
themes as well as changes in their designs and ownership pattern. We understand the advanced
impression of the seal is shown with the goal that the whole plan can be seen. The symbolism on
this seal portrays a parade towards a structure addressed by a simplified movement. Three figures
approach the composition shape. The first figure seems to curves to empty a vessel into a holder;
the second, while generally clouded by harm, stands upstanding; and the third raises an article that
appears to be a vessel tightly griped in his hands. An animal, two unidentified rectangular structures,
a compartment, and a hollow object are portrayed in the field around the structure, recognized as a
temple by its unmistakable structure and the exercises around it.

The cylinder seal came into famous use during the fourth thousand years BCE in the Middle and Late
Uruk Period. The ascent in administration during this period required the sort of assurance of
realness which these seals gave and, in time they turned out to be progressively multifaceted in plan
and extension. Not at all like the more modest stamp seals, cylinder seals gave a craftsman the
space to investigate a specific theme. These themes not just clarify the personality of the person
who bore the seal yet give critical insights concerning their positions and lifestyle. Leick expresses,
"The pictorial scenes that allude to exercises like weaving, going to homegrown creatures, hunting,
and evidently ceremonial activities might demonstrate circles of authoritative skill inside the Uruk
economy". 1 This "regulatory skill" was exhibited through the refined work of the craftsmen who
made the seals.

The utilization of cylinder seals started simultaneously as the advancement of composing and the
use of bullae, beginning in managerial necessities and practices. There are two primary styles of
cylinder seals – the Uruk-style and the Jemdet Nasr-style. The Uruk-style seals show creatures and
figures portrayed in an extraordinarily naturalistic manner, They are carefully, point by point, and
their structure will in general be adjusted and aesthetically satisfying. The Jemdet Nasr-style seals
are less to point by point than Uruk-style seals and are described by the substantial utilization of
drills and cutting plates, which produce round and straight checks individually. Normal themes from
the Jemdet Nasr-style incorporate women with braids engaged with homegrown work and groups of
creatures before temples

1Gwendolyn Leick. The A to Z of Mesopotamia. (Scarecrow Press, London, 2010 ), 47.

Furthermore the importance and meaning of the symbolism on the cylinder marks of this period has
been talked about by a few researchers. Three of the principle theories are firstly explicit families,
managerial divisions, or specific occasions identified with the organization. 2 Various phases of the
regulatory order, the article or people associated with the exchange3. The proprietor or the client of
the seal, or subtleties of the exchange - the ware being referred to, its source or objective, or a
particular occasion identifying with its utilization4 .

To conclude, in contrast to a significant part of the craft of the antiquated Near East, which endures
just in a fragmentary state, cylinder seals are in the novel situation of showing up precisely as they
would have looked to the old individuals who use them, cylinder seals hold such interest since they
are a brief look into the past, of a human advancement, yet of a person who lived and worked and
stressed over and appreciated life similarly as individuals do today.

2 Mark A. Brandes, Siegelabrollungen aus den Archaischen Bauschichten in Uruk-Warka (Steiner, Wiesbaden, 1979) 96-99.
3 Reinhard Dittmann, Seals, Sealings and Tablets (Harrassowitz, Germany, 1986) , 335-39.
4 Holly Pittman, Towards an Understanding of the Role of Glyptic Imagery in the Administrative Systems of Proto-Literate

Greater Mesopotamia, (Italy, 1994) 14.

Bibliography:-

Brandes Mark Siegelabrollungen aus den Archaischen Bauschichten in Uruk-Warka, Steiner

Wiesbaden. 1979.
Dittmann R. ‘Seals, Sealings and Tablets’. 1986.
Pittman H. Towards an Understanding of the Role of Glyptic Imagery in the Administrative Systems of
Proto-Literate Greater Mesopotamia. Italy, 1994
Bertman S. Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia. Oxford University Press, 2005.
Leick G. The A to Z of Mesopotamia. Scarecrow Press, 2010.
Joshua M "Cylinder Seals in Ancient Mesopotamia - Their History and Significance." World History
Encyclopedia. Last modified December 02, 2015.
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/846/cylinder-seals-in-ancient-mesopotamia---their-hist/.
(Accessed on December 2, 2021)
Figure 3 - Cylinder seal and modern impression: three "pigtailed ladies" with double-handled vessels,
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327067

Figure 2 - Cylinder seal and modern impression: hunting scene, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/329090

 Cylinder Seals : How wet clay transformed society as we know it today

The city of Uruk is frequently called 'the world's first city' and was the focal point of southern
Mesopotamia's urban transformation. This spread finished during the Late Uruk Period, c. 3500-
3100 BCE and is portrayed by the vast urban extension of settlements. The most intriguing and
uncovering curios found from old Mesopotamia are the items are Cylinder Seals. The first writing in
form of seals in Mesopotamia was discovered at the Eanna temple precinct in Uruk during the Late
Uruk Period, in the form of economic and administrative texts.

To clarify the turn of events and capacity of the new achievement, two hypotheses have been
formed. Denise Schmandt-Besserat, is a French-American archaeologist, presented an evolutionary
theory in which the transition from simpler administrative systems like tokens to the more
complicated cuneiform writing system was a single, continuous. 5While Piotr Michalowski, Professor
Emeritus of Ancient Middle East Languages and Civilizations, suggests a theory that proposes writing
was simply the most successful of several distinct systems for keeping records and communicating
information.6 Seals were the primary means of ensuring the legitimacy of the matter. Later, seal
impressions became more than mere signatures, guaranteeing the integrity of the product held by
the sealed container. I was drawn by Piotr Michalowski’s theory in this argument due to several
reasons including the administrative use during agriculture surplus, change in socio-economic
structural and the rise of demography.

To begin with, the managerial utilization of cylinder seals began during the Middle Uruk Period as
per finds from the site of Sharafabad and proceeded until around 300 BC when the utilization of
cuneiform composing started to vanish 7. The seals were account of authenticity of a product, the
product being containers destined for trade (vases and bags with goods to be imported or exported)
for the circulation and storage of daily commodities such as agriculture crops. Due to the high
surplus of crops record keeping became a must to tally differences. It became usual practise to seal
containers (vases and sacks) or even rooms (often in warehouses) whose locks or bolts were sealed.
A 'bulla8' held the cord that closed a container or held a door in place9. The latter was a lump of clay
that had been sealed by a government official. It would have been difficult to open the sealed object
without shattering the clay seal once the bulla had dried. As a result, a bulla made it illegal to open
the thing unless the owner of the seal, who is the only person who may replace the bulla, gave his
permission. As a result, sealing and opening became distinct administrative functions. The study of
the bullae deposits at Arslantepe is the best example of how a detailed analysis of this kind of
evidence can lead to a reconstruction of an entire administrative system, despite the absence of
writing. Thus record keeping/ seal developing grew during the increase of the agriculture surplus
period.

Secondly, the great organisations being the temples and kings had full authorities over the control of
the circulation of seals. The majority of the bullae found on containers or doors are related to the
circulation or storage of items.10 Other administrative operations, such as the issue of instructions,
need an assurance of authenticity despite not being related to a specific object. These directives
were mostly issued by the central government and distributed to peripheral officials. Thus the

5
Schmandt-Besserat . How Writing Came About.( University of Texas Press, Austin, 1996) 111 .
6
P Michalowski. ‘Writing and Literacy in Early States: A Mesopotamianist Perspective’, in D. Keller-Cohen (ed.) Literacy: Interdisciplinary
Conversations (Hampton Press Cresskill, NJ, 1994) 49-70.
7
H Pittman . The Glazed Steatite Glyptic Style.( Reimer-Verlag, Berlin,1994) 34-40.
8
A specific type of seal.
9
M Liverani The ancient Near East : history, society and economy. (Oxfordshire, England ; New York : Routledge, 2014.) 73-79.
10 M Liverani The ancient Near East : history, society and economy. 73-79.
structure of socio economic was used writing as a merely administrative tool in an official
bureaucracy and evolved into a major tool in the ruling elite's control of society. Writing has always
been connected with great institutions like the palace or the temple. According to this theory,
around 85 percent of early tablets are economic texts, detailing the receipt or transfer of things -
primarily agricultural items.

Lastly the demography factor in play, the population had grown too huge to interact effectively face
to-face as a result of the massive urban expansion. As a result, a new means of communication was
required, and writing proved to be the most effective option. This could be related to writing's ability
to establish accountability, as it allows for the creation of physical documents that can be accessed
or validated at a later period. It also means that certain records can be linked to a person or an
organisation without necessarily remaining in their possession11. In short, writing allows for the
transmission of personal names, whereas tokens and bullae cannot.

To conclude, the uses of the seals were both practical and spiritual. The Lewis and Feldman list
addresses functional utilization of marking one's name, confining access just to those permitted to
break the seal, and as a method for individual ID, or a sort of identification of power or concentrated
occupation. 12The third utilize recorded, 'amuletic', alludes to the Mesopotamian confidence in the
seal as an ornament, a sort of appeal, which could avert underhanded spirits and shield one from
hurt. The seal could fill in also to bring one karma and success. Be anything but cylinder seals were
one of the most innovative inventions of all time and have a deeper more profound impact on the
foundation of how society runs today till date.

11
M Liverani, The ancient Near East : history, society and economy. 73-79.

Megan Lewis, Marian Feldman: ‘’Cylinder Seals and the Development of Writing in Early Mesopotamia’’, https://cnx.org/ (accessed
12

December 2, 2021)
Bibliography:-
Liverani M “The Urban Revolution,” in The Near East. History, Society and Economy London and New
York: Routledge, 2014, 61-80.
Schmandt Besserat How Writing Came About. University of Texas Press, Austin, 1996, 111 .
Michalowski P Writing and Literacy in Early States: A Mesopotamianist Perspective in D. Keller-
Cohen (ed.) Literacy: Interdisciplinary Conversations Hampton Press Cresskill, NJ, 1994 49-70.
Pittman H The Glazed Steatite Glyptic Style. Reimer-Verlag, Berlin, 1994 34-40.
M Liverani The ancient Near East : history, society and economy. Oxfordshire, England ; New York :
Routledge, 2014. 73-79.