Cylinder seal decorated with heroes and animals

On this jasper cylinder, a dual scene depicting a fight between a naked man, a hero, and a lion, has been engraved with great finesse. The two groups frame a scorpion crowned by a cartouche bearing an inscription, which overlaps an older one. Cylinder seals were rolled out onto a clay surface to imprint the engraved motif. These images represent the seal’s owner, his family, or an administration, in the manner of a signature. They may also have had a magical function, like an amulet. During the Akkadian Empire, which dominated Mesopotamia at the end of the 3rd millennium BCE, the scope of these seals became increasingly bold, displaying a particular interest in mythological scenes. The fight between the hero and the animal evokes man’s desire to master nature.