A Near Eastern two-sided, circular seal amulet produced from a brown hardstone. The design features a zoomorphic figure on either side, possibly a big feline and its gazelle-like prey. Both animals are depicted in a similar posture with the two front legs splayed out in front, a single hind leg visible in the foreground, and a curved tail. The feline figure looks straight outwards, however, whilst the prey looks backwards over its body. For both figures, fine details, such as the facial features, have been engraved. The amulet is perforated longitudinally for suspension. Seals are 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 amulets with stylised animals or fantasised zoomorphic figural have been found throughout Mesopotamia in contexts dating to the late forth millennium BC, although stamp seals and cylinder seals are predominant types in the ancient Near East. Measurements: Width - 1.2cm Diameter - 2.8cm Provenance: From SM London collection, by descent, 1970-99