The scenes represented on the two friezes of this cylinder seem to be related to a ritual ceremony conducted to mark the solemn opening of a temple or place of worship. In the lower frieze there is a ziggurat, or terraced tower, with a figure on either side; four other figures are shown nearby, two of them using straws to drink what might be beer from a jar. The upper frieze presents a banquet scene with a schematic representation of a table.
Provenance: Mari.
Era: Early Bronze Age (about 2600 BC).
Substance: columella and plaster.
Dimensions: 3.7 x 2 cm (seal) x 15.5 x 5 cm (imprint).
Text: Michel Fortin (p.100).
Photography: Jacques Lessard.
Collection of the National Museum of Damascus.
Michel Fortin, Syria, Land of Civilization. Les Éditions de l'Homme, Musée de la Civilisation de Québec 1999.
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