Cylinder Seal with Two Abstract Figures

Cylinder seals were used in the Late Bronze Age, particularly in the 2nd millennium BCE in the eastern Mediterranean, for administrative and legal purposes. As a mark of endorsement and authority, the seal would be rolled across wet clay to secure the lid of a jar or a door handle. After the clay dried, the seal would have to be broken in order to access the contents or open the door. The hole pierced through the center of the stone allowed it to be hung on a cord and worn as a personal ornament. 

This particular cylinder seal includes two abstract human figures. The figures have long bodies, short bent legs, V-shaped hands, and birdlike heads. One figure lifts both arms, whereas the other has one arm lowered. In between the figures, vertical lines seem to indicate spears. The scene is framed by tall vertical plants with short branches, which may indicate trees. The imagery on this seal belongs to a style known as the Common Style. Little is known about the origins of this seal, but it may be from Cyprus. It was amongst a group of five seals given to the Menil Collection by Natalie Strauss Midlo (1914–2008) who began collecting seals in the 1930s.