Изображения животных на урартских печатях

Abstract

The seals in Urartu were regarded as a proving sign of social and personal status like in other Ancient Near Eastern countries. The quantity of the discovered high art samples and also the imprints on cuneiform clay tablets and pottery, show their wide-spread occurrence. It was evidenced by Assyrian sources that the owners of such seals were kings, the higher orders, priests, artisans and even Gods. Types of the Urartian seal are conical, bell shaped, prismаtic, discoid (other variation is flat rectangulars) and conical with truncated top that was transformed into handles. Geometrical and scenery type images were carved on the bases and the sides. The overprint was done by stamping. The most interesting are carvings on the sides of the truncated conical stamps, where religious and sacral scenes were depicted around the Tree of Life. On the imprints and on the scenery images animals are participants of rituals and they are depicted in realistic, winged and fantastic way. The most common images of Urartian seals are lion, goat, griffons, bull, horse, deer, eagle and fish.

Приведены результаты археологического исследования урартских печатей.