Cylinder Seal

CBS Register: seal cylinder, hematite (gray-black, red streak)

PBS XIV: The worshiping of two war and storm gods, Marduk and Adad. Marduk (?) is dressed like Martu, with turban, tunic and short shawl girded about. He has a long beard. But he steps like Nergal over his prostrate enemy, who lifts one hand crying for mercy. In one hand he holds the spear point down ready to kill his enemy, and wields the scimitar with the other. In fact, this is Nergal armed with the lance, the emblem of Marduk. The seated dog with a crooked stick on his head is probably an emblem of Ninib Gula and belongs to the same cycle. A bareheaded servant in short tunic or loin cloths brings a metal pail with legs and a libation vase. There is a crescent in the field.

Adad, a lightning fork with notched staff in one hand, an axe or hammer in the other, rides on a composite monster, a winged dragon with two heads and a scorpion tail. One is a lion's head, down and vomiting gift and flames, in the attitude of the older Enlil's dragon. The other, a bull's head, up in the air, as if roaring, is an emblem of the raging storm. The scorpion tail instead of the feather tail is a new motive. Marduk's dragon is a horned wingless squamy serpent walking on four legs. Adad has the fighting attitude of Nergal or Ishtar, one bare leg lifted on the dragon's neck. He has a horned mitre, his hair tied in a loop, a long beard, a plaited shawl girded about and opening in front. A bearded worshiper in turban and fringed shawl adores with one hand up. There is a star above. Cyl. seal. Hematite, 2 1/2 x 14 1/2 m.