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The Complex Design Of Cylinder Seals

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A cylinder seal is an engraved cylinder-shaped stone used to stamp impressions in clay. Cylinder seals have complex designs because of the ability to roll over the clay, allowing a more complex design to be carved into the stone. Cylinder seals with complex designs were first used in Mesopotamia. The seals were made using precious stones and were used to show ownership or as an identification mark. Cylinder seals would have been used to close jars, baskets, and doors or would have been rolled out onto a clay tablet to record some kind of transaction. This cylinder seal is from the Old Babylonian period. The seal is made from a dark colored hard stone called hematite, which is a common characteristic for making seals during the Old Babylonian

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