Discover the digital corpus of ancient West Asian seals and sealings — a long-term research project of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
Explore the material through different access points — from object types and iconographic motifs to collections and time periods.
Seals were longitudinally pierced stone cylinders or miniature stamps. They differ in material, colour, technical features, and size. Today, they are housed in museums and collections around the world and published in a wide range of catalogues and/or online resources.
12,450 objects
Engraved in stone, seals depict complex combinations of human, animal and hybrid figures, symbols and inscriptions. Posture, gesture, and attire could carry meaning, as did the handling and placement of certain objects and symbols.
34,200 picture elements
Seal inscriptions often name persons (usually their owners), deities, and institutions such as temples and palaces. Additional information on the person, institution and place of sealing may be available from the cuneiform tablet on which a seal was impressed.
5,600 text elements
Seals were long-lived objects, some of them in use for centuries. Dating a seal on "stylistic" grounds indicates its period of production, but this may be disputed, as scholarly opinions differ. If the seal inscription names a known historical figure, e.g. a king, or if a sealed cuneiform tablet carries a date, we speak of "historical dating". The place of discovery leads to "archaeological dating" if the archaeologist in charge can place the find within a stratigraphic and chronological sequence.
87 periods
Seals and sealings moved together with people and goods. This is why the place of “archaeological discovery” may not be identical with their place of production or use. Often, we can only guess their place of origin on stylistic grounds (“stylistic attribution”). Sometimes, the “textual information” available on a sealed cuneiform tablet helps to place its use on a map. Today, West Asian seals are scattered around the world: check “current location” for details.
14 places
Browse the entire corpus of ancient West Asian seals and sealings — spanning thousands of years and hundreds of collections worldwide. Search across all categories, filter by period, region, material, iconography, or inscription, and explore connections between objects, images, and texts. Whether you are looking for a specific artefact or exploring broader patterns, this is your comprehensive entry point to the KIŠIB database.
20,000 items