Mesopotamia, Iraq, 700-600 BCE

This is a facsimile reproduction of a Seal and Impression featuring the streamlined form of a stylized duck that creates a handle with its head. Large enough for using the thumb and forefinger, it would have been used to stamp ownership to a clay document or wine jar seal. It could also have been designed as a method of weight measurement for very small quantities of a precious material such as gold or exotic herbs. Duck weights were made in various materials and standard sizes. They were used in trade to work out grain and other food crop portions by placing them on a set of scales. Wages were also calculated using this system. The inscription underneath depicts a priest worshipping the symbols of the supreme god of Babylon, Marduk. The symbol for Marduk's son Nabu is present here. Nabu was the god of wisdom and writing during this period, taking over this role from the more ancient Nisaba / Nina.

Bibliography

Babylonian Seal and Impression, Mesopotamia, 700-600 BCE. University of Oregon Special Collections & University Archives, Cuneiform 006. https://alliance-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/3uoa1r/CP71346139430001451