Guides: Exhibit Guide: Near Eastern Seals Collected by Henri Hyvernat (1858-1941): Learn More

Authentic or Fake?

"Faked or Authentic?"
"True or False? Genuine and False Cylinder Seals at Andrews University"
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By Edith Porada. Article appears in Andrews University Seminar Studies 6 (1978).
"Were Ancient Seals Secure?"
Abstract: Forgeries of ancient seals have been found in modern times, but there has been little previous
analysis of how much security ancient seals might have offered. In this paper, we demonstrate four different vulnerabilities of clay seal impressions using attack methods and materials that were available thousands of years ago. The success of these attacks suggests that ancient stamp and cylinder seals may have been highly vulnerable to
spoofing.
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Authors: Roger G. Johnston, Debbie D. Martinez, & Anthony R.E. Garcia. Vulnerability Assessment Team, Los Alamos National Laboratory, MS J565, Los Alamos,
NM 87545 U.S.A.

Jewelry

Lady Layard's Jewellery
Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia
See, esp. 7. Society, Part II: Private Life, pp.121-162.

Photography, Images, and Reverse Images

Digital images of the Catholic University seals were made on a flatbed scanner with capture resolution of 600 pixels per inch. They were saved as uncompressed tagged image file form tiff files for archival files. Images also were saved as compressed jpeg files. These digital images capture one view of a three-dimensional object. Very high resolution images and the use of Polynomial Texture Mapping, a photographic technique developed by Hewlett Packard, can provide more information to scholars.

Origin, Development, and Use of Ancient Seals

Origin and Development of the Ancient Near Eastern Cylinder Seal
Leonard Gorelick, A. John Gwinnet, "The Origin and Development of the Ancient Near Eastern Cylinder Seal: A Hypothetical Reconstruction," Expedition (Summer 1961): 17-30.
The Ancient Near Eastern Cylinder Seal as Social Emblem and Status Symbol
Leonard Gorelick and A. John Gwinnett, "The Ancient Near Eastern Cylinder Seal as Social Emblem and Status Symbol," Journal of Near Eastern Studies 49/1 (Jan. 1990): 45-56.
Encyclopaedia Iranica - Cylinder Seals
Edith Porada, "Cylinder Seals," Encyclopaedia Iranica v. 6 (1993): 479-505.
Why Cylinder Seals? Engraved Cylindrical Seal Stones of the Ancient Near East, Fourth to First Millenium B.C.
Edith Porada, "Why Cylinder Seals? Engraved Cylindrical Seal Stones of the Ancient Near East, Fourth to First Millenium B.C," The Art Bulletin 75/4 (Dec. 1993): 563-582.

How Were Ancient Seals Made?

Ancient Art and Craft of the Lapidary
Leonard Gorelick, "The Ancient Art and Craft of the Lapidary," Expedition (Fall 1981), 4-9.
Ancient Lapidary: A Study Using Scanning Electron Microscopy and Functional Analysis
Leonard Gorelick and A. John Gwinnett, "Ancient Lapidary: A Study Using Scanning Electron Microscopy and functional Analysis," Expedition 22 (1979), 17-32.
Beadmaking in Iran in the Early Bronze Age
A. John Gwinnet and Leonard Gorelick, "Beadmaking in Iran in the Early Bronze Age Derived by Scanning Electron Microscopy," Expedition 24 (1981) 10-23.
Change from Stone Drills to Copper Drills in Mesopotamia
A. John Gwinnett, Leonard Gorelick, "The Change from Stone Drills to Copper Drills in Mesopotamia: An Experimental Perspective," Expedition 29/3 (19 xx),15-24
Close Work Without Magnifying Lenses?
Leonard Gorelick, A. John Gwinnett, "Close Work without Magnifying Lenses? A Hypothetical Explanation for the Ability of Ancient Craftsmen to Effect Minute Detail," Expedition (Winter 1981), 27-34.