A fine Western Asiatic cylinder seal carved from haematite, featuring a processional scene. Carefully engraved across the surface, a pair of robed anthropomorphic figures flank an altar, followed by two zoomorphic figures. One of the figures raises their arm towards altar. Behind one of the human figures, a rampant, horned quadruped stands on its back legs, rearing. Its head is turned back, facing left, looking at a seated zoomorphic figure, possibly a feline, with a mane represented by rows of incised, vertical lines. The seal has been perforated longitudinally for suspension, though this is now blocked. Encrustations and signs of wear as consistent with age, such as chipping, scratches, and pitting. This piece comes with a museum-quality impression. The impression has been repaired with some glue remnants visible. Seals in antiquity were often made of stone, however there are also examples rendered in bone, ivory, faience, glass, metal, wood, and occasionally sun-dried or baked clay. In the ancient world, seals guaranteed the authenticity of marked ownership. As such, they were instrumental in legal transactions and in the protection of goods against theft. Seal with stylised animals or fantasised zoomorphic figural have been found throughout Mesopotamia and dating to the late fourth millennium BC. Measurements: (circa) W 0.9cm x H 1.7cm Provenance: From the collection of the late S, London, UK, 1970-2000.