ticketsMember | Make a donation

Cylinder seal cap

ca. 17th–16th century BCE
Not on view
This gold cap is part of a group of gold jewelry elements and cylinder seals found buried together at the ancient city of Dilbat, a site south of Babylon (47.1a-h). The cap and two others like it from the so-called “Dilbat hoard” (41.1j, 41.1k) are decorated with triangles of gold granulation. Originally, this cap would have been one of a pair that encased a cylinder seal. (The seals found in the hoard do not fit the caps.) A hole at the top of the cap suggests that the cap and its cylinder were meant to be strung and worn by the individual owner, but probably not as part of a composite ensemble represented by the hoard, which includes pendants and beads made in a range of styles and gold alloys, and executed with varying levels of craftsmanship.

Although it is rare for a cylinder to be preserved with its caps, impressions of cylinder seals showing borders of triangles indicate that the use of caps like this one became particularly popular during the Kassite period (ca. 1595-1155 B.C.). The combination of gold caps with brightly colored and highly polished cylinder seal stones would have created an appealing item of jewelry and emphasized the magical powers of the stone, which could act as a protective amulet for the wearer.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Cylinder seal cap
  • Period: late Old Babylonian–early Kassite
  • Date: ca. 17th–16th century BCE
  • Geography: Mesopotamia, said to be from Dilbat
  • Culture: Babylonian or Kassite
  • Medium: Gold
  • Dimensions: H: 1.2 cm D: 1.2 cm
  • Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1947
  • Object Number: 47.1l
  • Curatorial Department: Ancient West Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Pendants and beads, Gold, Babylonian
Pendants and beads
Babylonian
ca. 18th–17th century BCE
Sickle sword, Bronze, Assyrian
Sickle sword
Assyrian
ca. 1307–1275 BCE
Cylinder seal and modern impression: male worshiper, dog surmounted by a standard, Carnelian, Kassite
Cylinder seal and modern impression: male worshiper, dog surmounted by a standard
Kassite
ca. mid-2nd millennium BCE
Cult vessel in the form of a tower with cylinder seal impressions near the top, Ceramic
Cult vessel in the form of a tower with cylinder seal impressions near the top
ca. 19th century BCE
Seated goddess with a child, Gold, Hittite
Seated goddess with a child
Hittite
ca. 14th–13th century BCE

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.