A fine Western Asiatic bronze stamp seal featuring a circular body. The face of the seal is decorated with a raised curvilinear design, consisting of a central scrolling motif, surrounded by five domes based around the edges. A free-standing circle and a short curving stroke fill the empty fields around the central design. The reverse features a perforated handle to the centre. Minor earthly encrustations and a dark patina to the surface. Signs of wear as consistent with age. The piece is accompanied by a paper description signed by Professor W. G. Lambert, the famous Assyriologist. 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: (circa) W 3.4cm x H 2.5cm Provenance: Ex private collection, SM, London, acquired 1970-2000s.