94 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 
XXI.—A prescription oF A Hiwyaritic SEAL ENGRAVED ON SARD, AND 
on A SmAtt Contectron or Basytontan Inscrrpep CYLINDERS. 
By W. Frazer, F.R.C.S.1., M.R.1.A. 
[Read, May 23, 1881.] 
AxovT a year since a small collection of early engraved seals chanced 
to come into my possession, amongst which those that possessed the 
chief interest were seven inscribed seal cylinders of Babylonian type ; 
and a Himyaritic seal, with an inscription engraved upon sard; I also 
obtained a Pheenicio-Assyrian seal made of ivory, and several others 
engraved on different kinds of gems, referable to various periods of 
early classical history, and affording examples of Sassanian, Greek, 
Roman, and Pheenician workmanship; but all of less importance than 
those I desire to place on record in this communication. 
It was impossible to obtain any reliable information regarding the 
places where these seals were procured, or the circumstances under 
which the collection was formed; but from the character of the 
objects themselves, and from a collection of gold and silver coims that 
were associated with them, I should conjecture that they were 
obtained during an extensive tour in the East, extending through 
Asia Minor, Persia, and probably along the Euphrates, for I got 
concave aurel of the Later Roman Empire, struck by Alexius I. and 
Johannes II., of the Comneni family; five tetradrachms of the 
Seleucide ; several Parthian coms; a large silver medallion, or coin, 
of Sultan Hussin Ben Soleiman, of Persia; and especially two very 
rare silver coins of Timur the Tartar, not contained in our great 
public collection, and probably undescribed. 
The Babylonian seal cylinders were, as I have stated, seven in 
number, and six of these were carved from massive iron peroxide, or 
native hematite. They all presented incised sunken figures of deities, 
with various symbolic objects, and priests, or religious worshippers, 
probably some representing the former owners of the seals, and all 
without accompanying inscriptions. The seventh of the seal cylinders 
I was specially interested about, for it contained four lines of inscrip- 
tion in the well-known Babylonian characters, and with them the 
figure of a deity and of his attendant worshipper, all well preserved, 
being cut upon a piece of almost translucent pale gray agate. I was 
anxious to ascertain what this inscription was intended to record, and 
availed myself of the kindness of Rev. A. H. Sayce, of Queen’s 
College, Oxford, to decipher its meaning. He took the trouble 
of examining all the seals for me, and of writing a full and clear 
account of the different objects they represent, and to the communica- 
tions he sent me we are indebted for all the information which this 
Paper may contain. I need not say how deeply I feel obliged to him 
for his kindness in this matter. 
No. 1.—A hematite cylinder, measuring 16 millimetres in length. 
It represents a priest, with an altar behind, and a deity (apparently 
e mo 
