Cylinder seals are small round cylinders engraved with written characters and/or figurative scenes. They were used to roll an impression onto a two-dimensional surface, usually wet clay. This Babylonian cylinder seal was excavated at Amlash, Mesopotamia. A relief of the inscription is shown on the accompanying piece of clay.
An overview of the functions of cylinder seals and their historical context. This short article also includes several different examples of cylinder seals.
Babylonian Cylinder Seal, 1700 BCE