Sumerian Cylinder Seals: Iconography and Workshop Production (c. 3500–2000 BCE)

1. Cylinder seals emerge in Middle Uruk administration

   Jan 1, 3500 BCELabels: Middle Uruk, Temple administration

   • Uruk Period
   • WHE Uruk
   • Met Essays

2. Uruk animal friezes become standard seal imagery

   Jan 1, 3100 BCELabels: Uruk period, Animal friezes

   • Fitzwilliam
   • Met Essays

3. Jemdet Nasr geometric styles expand drill-based motifs

   Jan 1, 3100 BCELabels: Jemdet Nasr, Geometric motifs

   • Met Object
   • Princeton Art

4. Seal imagery supports proto-cuneiform record keeping

   Jan 1, 3000 BCELabels: Proto-cuneiform, Uruk administration

   • Met Essays
   • Uruk Period

5. Early Dynastic “banquet” themes grow in popularity

   Jan 1, 2600 BCELabels: Early Dynastic, Banquet scenes

   • Met Object
   • ANU Archive

6. Early Dynastic III seals show mature Sumerian styles

   Jan 1, 2600 BCELabels: Early Dynastic, Sumerian style

   • Met Object
   • Met Essays

7. Akkadian “contest scene” iconography becomes dominant

   Jan 1, 2350 BCELabels: Akkadian period, Contest scenes

   • Met Object
   • British Museum

8. Hardstones and fine cutting signal Akkadian workshops

   Jan 1, 2300 BCELabels: Akkadian workshops, Hardstone seals

   • Met Object
   • British Museum

9. Ur III “presentation scene” becomes a seal standard

   Jan 1, 2050 BCELabels: Ur III, Presentation scene

   • Walters
   • British Museum Bib

10. Seal use and wearing evidenced by perforation wear

    Jan 1, 2050 BCELabels: Seal wear, Perforated seals

    • Fitzwilliam
    • Walters

11. Large museum catalogues formalize Uruk–Ur III typologies

    Jan 1, 1982Labels: Museum catalogues, Dominique Collon

    • British Museum

12. Digital imaging enables full 360-degree seal reading

    Jan 1, 2010Labels: Digital imaging, 360-degree photography

    • Spurlock