Sealing with the Impression of Liburbeli's Cylinder Seal
Unknown · Akkadian period, c. 2340-2200 BC
A lens-shaped lump of clay, under five centimetres across, was pressed around a knot of string to seal a package or a door, and while it was soft a cylinder seal was rolled over both faces and the edge. The impressions are bordered by grooves left by the seal's metal mounting. The scene shows a naked hero confronting a lion, beside a second hero gripping a buffalo, the classic contest theme of Akkadian seals. A large panel of four boxes carries the owner's name: Epirmupi the mighty, Liburbeli, cupbearer, your servant. Use the magnifier if there is one; the detail is remarkably fine.
Liburbeli was an official serving Epirmupi, governor of Elam and vassal of the Akkadian kings Rimush and Manishtushu. The sealing therefore documents the period when Susa was administered from Mesopotamia and its officials used the imperial art style and the Akkadian language. Sealings like this were thrown away once the goods were opened, which is why they survive in rubbish deposits and tell us about everyday administration. It was excavated at Susa and came to the Louvre through the French mission's partage.
Did You Know? The clay survived only because it was rubbish: the seal impression was broken off when someone opened the goods it protected.
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