A finely rendered Near Eastern seal stamp, carved from dark brown hardstone. It features an oval shape with a domed back. The flat face of the seal has been carved with the depiction of a zoomorphic creature, possibly a dog or lion, reclining and looking left. The quadruped is portrayed in a highly stylised manner. The reverse is unworked and displays some natural fissures in the stone. The seal is perforated horizontally for suspension. Natural fissures across the stone. Signs of wear as consistent with its age, such as some chipping at the edges and on the image itself. However, the quadruped is still clearly visible. 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) L 1.7cm x W 1.1cm x D 1.4cm Provenance: Ex major SM., London, Collection 1970-2010.