DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.3044#0039
3 - SHAPE CLASSES1
From a preliminary study of the typology of seal shapes it became clear that certain
shapes, materials and levels of quality tend to correlate with particular motifs and carving tech-
niques. For the purposes of a typology which will lead to a chronology, seals are divided here
first by shape and second by material. "Shape" refers to morphological characteristics of the
seals and, in certain cases, to peculiarities of body decoration. The terminology used for shapes
is independent of that used in the CMS, although it was developed in consultation with Pini. The
reader should not be too critical of the typology without also laying out and studying all of the
glyptic material at one time. A chronological ordering instead of an alphabetical one has the dis-
advantage that in several cases one is committed to take positions on the chronology of shapes
even though sufficient evidence may be lacking. The seal shapes thus are arranged alphabetically
so that they may be more quickly located in the text. Pure profile views of the seals are used
where they are available in order to facilitate the comparison of the shapes. They are intended
to complement the photos published in the CMS, which are generally three-quarter views. The
engraved sides of the profiles face right. In a few isolated cases where a seal shape could as easi-
ly be assigned to one class as to another, the decoration is a factor which may have influenced
the classification. For the sake of simplicity and ease of use, plate references are provided for
motifs which are reproduced here at each respective class or subclass.
A classification by the major material (the second criterion) is essential for a typology. The
major groups of materials are ivory, bone and frit/faience ; soft and middle-hard stone (Moh's
2-5); and hard stone (usually varieties of quartz, Moh's 6-7). By controlling the materials used
for the manufacture of seals, one can test Evans's hypothesis that seals in organic materials are
Prepalatial and those in hard stone come into production in MM II.
Frequently reference is made in the following text to stringholes. Many are formed by three
holes, two of which are bored at an angle to meet the first one (A stringhole). Others are formed
by a boring which perpendicularly bisects a second boring (j_ stringhole).
Quality of workmanship is an important criterion for a typology. The word "quality" refers
neither to my perception of the artistic value of the seal nor to its state of preservation, but. ra-
ther to the precision, regularity and polish of the fashioning of the body and its motif. For the
description of the workmanship a uniform vocabulary is used: The words "fair", "good", "very
good", "excellent" and "superb" are applied as objectively as possible. The following list of
shape/material classes provides a quick overview:
SHAPE/MATERIAL COMBINATIONS
1 AMYGDALOIDS 2 ARCH-INCISED CLASS, ivory
a soft stone
b hard stone
c miscellaneous shapes and materials
From a preliminary study of the typology of seal shapes it became clear that certain
shapes, materials and levels of quality tend to correlate with particular motifs and carving tech-
niques. For the purposes of a typology which will lead to a chronology, seals are divided here
first by shape and second by material. "Shape" refers to morphological characteristics of the
seals and, in certain cases, to peculiarities of body decoration. The terminology used for shapes
is independent of that used in the CMS, although it was developed in consultation with Pini. The
reader should not be too critical of the typology without also laying out and studying all of the
glyptic material at one time. A chronological ordering instead of an alphabetical one has the dis-
advantage that in several cases one is committed to take positions on the chronology of shapes
even though sufficient evidence may be lacking. The seal shapes thus are arranged alphabetically
so that they may be more quickly located in the text. Pure profile views of the seals are used
where they are available in order to facilitate the comparison of the shapes. They are intended
to complement the photos published in the CMS, which are generally three-quarter views. The
engraved sides of the profiles face right. In a few isolated cases where a seal shape could as easi-
ly be assigned to one class as to another, the decoration is a factor which may have influenced
the classification. For the sake of simplicity and ease of use, plate references are provided for
motifs which are reproduced here at each respective class or subclass.
A classification by the major material (the second criterion) is essential for a typology. The
major groups of materials are ivory, bone and frit/faience ; soft and middle-hard stone (Moh's
2-5); and hard stone (usually varieties of quartz, Moh's 6-7). By controlling the materials used
for the manufacture of seals, one can test Evans's hypothesis that seals in organic materials are
Prepalatial and those in hard stone come into production in MM II.
Frequently reference is made in the following text to stringholes. Many are formed by three
holes, two of which are bored at an angle to meet the first one (A stringhole). Others are formed
by a boring which perpendicularly bisects a second boring (j_ stringhole).
Quality of workmanship is an important criterion for a typology. The word "quality" refers
neither to my perception of the artistic value of the seal nor to its state of preservation, but. ra-
ther to the precision, regularity and polish of the fashioning of the body and its motif. For the
description of the workmanship a uniform vocabulary is used: The words "fair", "good", "very
good", "excellent" and "superb" are applied as objectively as possible. The following list of
shape/material classes provides a quick overview:
SHAPE/MATERIAL COMBINATIONS
1 AMYGDALOIDS 2 ARCH-INCISED CLASS, ivory
a soft stone
b hard stone
c miscellaneous shapes and materials