A fine Near Eastern clay tessera, featuring the jugate busts of two figures, possibly representing a ruler and his queen, facing right. The busts have been rendered stylistically, with their eyes, mouths, hooked noses, drapery, and hair, still clearly visible. The figure in the foreground has their hair drawn back into a long hairstyle. The figures are possibly diademed. The reverse is plan and unworked. Encrustations and signs of wear as consistent with age to the surface, such as chipping, pitting, and scratches as consistent with age. A tessera in ancient contexts was a small token, often made of clay, metal, or bone, most commonly used in the Roman Empire and Ancient Greece. It functioned like a pass or ticket—granting entry to events, distributing food, identifying individuals, or serving as a password or sign of membership in groups or the military. Measurements: (circa) W 2.2cm x H 0.8cm Provenance: From a London gentleman's collection, 1990s.