141228 SE Archaeological seminar with BA thesis (2025S)

Perhaps the richest group of artefacts of ancient Mesopotamian material culture are the cylinder seals made of various stones are of the highest technological standard in terms of their workmanship and bear a variety of depictions of different scenes. These seals were used mainly to authenticate documents (pertaining to administrative and economic activities) or to seal containers for storage and transport or rooms. They were also used to indicate rank or position or to carry out orders or assignments, and were worn as amulets and jewellery by their owners and often used as grave goods and funerary accessories. Cylinder seals were therefore employed for a range of functions, across different social strata.
The seminar will cover cylinder seals which play a primary role in the material culture of ancient Mesopotamia. The introductory seminars deal with the raw materials, production, and use of these objects. We examine the role of seals in different historical periods and in the pictorial world. In the subsequent seminars, we primarily focus on Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian sources and present the role of seals in case studies. Students will work on a chosen cylinder seal during the semester. The main task is to describe, classify and contextualize the chosen seal image. Students will give a short presentation and write a seminar paper about their research results. During the seminars, students can learn about research related to glyptic, develop their skills in analyzing visual sources, and enrich their historical and artistic knowledge by learning about an important object group.