A Near Eastern stamp seal inscribed with a personal or clan device, described as a ‘fire altar’ by Myres (1914). Dating to the 3rd–7th century CE, the seal comes from the Neo-Persian Empire which encompassed modern-day Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan among others. The design consists of a crescent, standard, bar with terminals twice occuring, and ribbons tied at the bottom.
These abstract insignia may have been highly prized, and the seals bearing them were probably used by numerous members, dependents, and servants of a particular clan or estate.
A similar example can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (accession number 74.51.4411 ) see also (Brunner, 1978: 126, no. 83).
Accession Number: RWH 185
Photography and Model Credit: Charlotte Sargent
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