Cylinder seal with gods and celestial symbols

Neues Museum

Material: Clay (seal impression)

Date: After originals dating to the 2nd and 1st Millennium BC

Origin: Mesopotamia

Collection: Vorderasiatisches Museum (Museum for the Near East), Berlin

This impression from a Mesopotamian cylinder seal depicts a pantheon of deities surrounded by celestial emblems—the crescent moon, the sun disk, and the star cluster of the Pleiades. These symbols are associated with the divine order and the measurement of time. In ancient Mesopotamia, such seals were used to record astronomical and calendrical observations.

The imagery reflects a sophisticated understanding of celestial cycles: the constellation of the spring full moon and the Pleiades was used to identify leap years. The alignment of the moon with the Pleiades on specific days of the month of Nisānu determined whether the year would be regular or intercalary.

This seal thus combines religious and scientific symbolism—where divine figures embody cosmic order and celestial phenomena served as guides for agricultural and ritual calendars.

Museum label reference:

Cylinder seal impressions depicting Gods and celestial symbols After originals dating to the 2nd and 1st millennium BC Mesopotamia Vorderasiatisches Museum (Museum for the Near East), Inv. VAG-TOP 1535.1626.1648.1945

The constellation of the spring full Moon and the Pleiades was used to identify leap days. It is represented on cylindrical seals and is described in a cuneiform script. If the moon stands at Pleiades on the 1st or 2nd of Nisānu, it will be a normal year. However, if the Moon stands only on the 3rd of Nisānu at the Pleiades, it will be a leap year.

Supplementary images:

Cylinder seal impressions depicting gods and celestial symbols, Mesopotamia

Taken on Tuesday 06th of August 2019

Device: Google

Model: Pixel 3 XL

Genre: 2nd and 1st Millennium BC

Source: Berlin, Germany

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