[[identification, authenticity, and design]] Mesopotamian cylinder seals were engraved with writing and imagery. When roled across wet clay tablets, they produced a raised impression of the etched design. They were near impossible to counterfeit and were used to seal documents, thus proving their authenticity and authority. Documents sealed included commerical documents, religious decrees, and royal proclamations. The earliest seals included pictures of kings, cattle, and mythic creatures, but evolved into narrative imagery, such as soldiers in battle and religious myths. The seals were also prized status symbols, and unique personal signatures. ![[uruk style cylinder seal.jpg]] Uruk-style cylinder seal and modern impression. Image courtesy of Marie-Lan Nguyen and PHGCOM via WikiMedia Commons. Object in the Louvre. ![[Stamp-cylinder seal.png]] Stamp-cylinder seal ("the Tyszkiewicz seal"), Hittite, 1650-1200 BCE. Most likely portrays a ritual with a sacrifical offering on the right. There is an image on the side for rolling, and an image on the bottom for stamping. Citations Meggs, P. B., & Purvis, A. W. (2016). Meggs' history of graphic Design, 6th edition. In _[[Meggs' History of Graphic Design]]_ (6th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.