Some fragments of pottery vessels from Tell Beydar in the Khabur region of north-eastern Syria bear the impression of a single cylinder seal, decorated with a ‘master of animals’ scene. As far as they are stratified, they date in the EJ IIIb period. They come from different sectors of the 3rd millennium B.C. Upper City mound, with a significant concentration in areas occupied by official buildings. The article discusses the distribution of similar impressions in the Khabur area and in the neighbouring regions in the framework of previous research about the practice of pottery-sealing in the Near East in the mid-3rd millennium B.C. Although this practice is not as widespread in eastern Syria as in contemporary western Syria and Palestine, the hypothesis that it had a comparable function is supported by clear similarities in both the types of sealed vessels and the cylinder seal iconography. It is therefore suggested that the Beydar sealed vessels contained a special product – possibly olive oil –, limited quantities of which were distributed, under the control of the central authority, to different public buildings of the city.

Seal Impressions on Pottery in the Khabur Region in the IIIrd Millennium B.C.: Some New Evidence from Tell Beydar

ROVA, Elena
2006-01-01

Abstract

Some fragments of pottery vessels from Tell Beydar in the Khabur region of north-eastern Syria bear the impression of a single cylinder seal, decorated with a ‘master of animals’ scene. As far as they are stratified, they date in the EJ IIIb period. They come from different sectors of the 3rd millennium B.C. Upper City mound, with a significant concentration in areas occupied by official buildings. The article discusses the distribution of similar impressions in the Khabur area and in the neighbouring regions in the framework of previous research about the practice of pottery-sealing in the Near East in the mid-3rd millennium B.C. Although this practice is not as widespread in eastern Syria as in contemporary western Syria and Palestine, the hypothesis that it had a comparable function is supported by clear similarities in both the types of sealed vessels and the cylinder seal iconography. It is therefore suggested that the Beydar sealed vessels contained a special product – possibly olive oil –, limited quantities of which were distributed, under the control of the central authority, to different public buildings of the city.
2006
37
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10278/29665
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