A Sasanian stamp seal finely carved from a beautiful agate featuring an engraved bird. The seal features a large, smooth dome, perforated horizontally for suspension. The flat, oval face is carefully carved with a bird, depicted facing left with its wings open and taloned feet beneath. Fine incisions portray the feathers to its wing, an open beak and a large circular eye. Short, figural incisions decorate the background. The agate displays beautiful natural black and brown striations. Minor wear consistent with age such as scratches and chips. Chipping to the base and the top of the dome, revealing pale inclusions within the agate stone. Seals were often made of stone however there are also examples rendered in bone, ivory, faience, glass, metal, wood, and even 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 amulets with stylised animals have been found throughout Mesopotamia in contexts dating to the late fourth millennium BC, although stamp seals and cylinder seals were the predominant types in the ancient Near East. Measurements (approx.): L 2cm, W 2.4cm, H 1.7cm Provenance: Ex SM collection London, acquired 1970s-2000s.