AKT. 4 ANCIENT OEIENTAL SEALS CASANOWICZ 11 



6. Marduk in low cap, four winged, witli left foot raised against Tiamat, who 

 is represented with head of an eagle, wings and feathered body, grasps 

 Vv'ith the left hand one of the wings of the monster, while his right hand, 

 holding the scimitar or crooked sword, hangs down. Tiamat stands on 

 the hind legs with head turned back. Behind is the tree of life sur- 

 mounted by the sun wheel. Two lines of in.scription. The original of 

 chalcedony from Hillah, Mesopotamia, is in the United States National 

 Museum. (Cat. No. 207937, U.S.N.M.) 



Plate 4 



1. Battle of Marduk with Tiamat continued. The latter is represented on one 



side as a winged, eagle-headed griftin with scorpion tail, on the other as a 

 winged sphinx. Marduk, four winged, seizes them by one of the forelegs. 

 In the field, above, the winged disk of Ashur, below, a dog and the head of 

 a bull, the animal of the storm god, Raman or Adad. The original of 

 quartzite onyx from Hillah, Mesopotamia, is in the United States National 

 Museum. (Cat. No. 207956, U.S.N.M.) 



2. The same as the last one, only that in the field below the upper part of the 



horned dragon, the animal of Marduk, takes the place of the head of a 

 bull. The original of porphyry from Hillah. Mesopotamia, is in the 

 United States National Museum. (Cat. No. 207940, U.S.N.M.) 



3. Tiamat is represented as a winged, bearded sphinx. Marduk, four winged, 



uses as weapon the thunderbolt (?). In the field, the winged disk of 

 Ashur, a fish, and a small tree. The original of jade from Aintab, Syria, 

 is owned by Frederick Stearns. (Cat. No. 15S433, U.S.N.M.) 



4. Probably a hunting scene. A man with bow attacking some quadruped. In 



the field, above, crescent, sun, or star, and seven dots (pi. 3, No. 1) ; below, 

 a small tree, to suggest the open country. The original of steatite from 

 Aintab, Syria, is owned by Frederick Stearns. (Cat. No. 158439, U.S.N.M.) 



5. Hunting scene : Man chasing antelopes. The original of steatite from 



Aintab, Syria, is owned by Frederick Stearn.s. (Cat. No. 15S42S, U.S.N.M.) 



6. Contest with some animals. The original of black stone from Aintab, Syria, 



is owned by Frederick Stearns. (Cat. No. 15843S, U.S.N.M.) 



Plate 5 



1. The sacred tree, or tree of life, surmounted by the symbol of the god Ashur, 



worshipped on one side by a priest, on the other by the man-fish, or god 

 or genius clad in a fish skin, holding a basket (but no fruit). Behind the 

 human worshipper is, for the sake of symmetry, another man-fish with bas- 

 ket. The original of chalcedony from Hillah. Mesopotamia, is in the 

 United States National Museum. (Cat. No. 207924, U.S.N.M.) (See 

 above, p. 7.) 



2. The tree of life, surmounted by the emblem of Ashur, between two worship- 



pers. In the field, crescent (moon god), seven dots (pi. 3, No. 1), rhomb, 

 and perhaps the lamp of Nusku, the fire god. Drill work. Original un- 

 known. 



3. Lion and hind (?) climbing up a peculiarly shaped tree. Behind the lion is 



a man (or god) in low round cap and short tunic grasping the lion's head; 

 with his left hand, while with the raised right hand he wields some 

 weapon. Perhaps Persian hunting scene. The original of jade from 

 Baghdad, Mesopotamia, is owned by Prof. H. Hyvernat, (Cat. No. 

 300598, U.S.N.M.) 



