---
title: Cylinder Seal with Ninurta
author: The Trustees of the British Museum
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/6317/cylinder-seal-with-ninurta/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 2024-08-26
---
# Cylinder Seal with Ninurta
_Authored by The Trustees of the British Museum_
## Image File
[](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/6317.jpg)
## Image Caption
Grey or brown chalcedony [cylinder seal](https://www.worldhistory.org/Cylinder_Seal/) in the modelled style; a bearded [god](https://www.worldhistory.org/God/) ([Ninurta](https://www.worldhistory.org/Ninurta/)), wearing a square, star-topped, horned head-dress and a vertically striated, tiered, fringed open robe over a fringed kilt, with a star-tipped crossed bow-cases on his back, a sword at his belt, and a sickle-sword hanging from his right arm, draws a star-studded bow and aims an arrow at a rampant lion-griffin. He strides towards the right on the back of a charging, scorpion-tailed lion-griffin, resting one foot on its bull's horns and the other on one of its hind legs; it has lion's paws and from its jaws issues a triple-forked tongue or, more probably, the end of the thunderbolt with which the god has defeated it. The rampant lion-griffin flees towards the right but looks back towards the pursuing god; it has prickled ears rather than a horn, and no evidence of a tongue, outstretched lion's forelegs with claws extended, spread wings and a bird's tail, hind legs, and talons; on either side of its head are the Pleiades (or seven dots symbol of the Sibitti group of deities) and the crescent.
A subsidiary scene has been inserted at the end of the main scene. A small, bearded worshipper, wearing a fringed robe, stands facing right, points with his raised right hand, and extends the other. Behind him is a slightly curved, vertical ball-and-staff, and in front of him, facing left is a small dog, sitting on its haunches; at a higher level, also facing left, sits the goddess [Gula](https://www.worldhistory.org/Gula/), wearing a square, star-topped, horned head-dress and a vertically-striated, tiered, fringed robe; she holds a scalpel in her raised right hand and a beaded ring in the other. Her star-backed chair (throne?), with elaborately turned legs and double stretchers, rests on the back of a couchant dog with a curled tail. Line borders at the top and bottom. Some small chips.
The British Museum, London.
## Cite This Work
### APA
Museum, T. T. o. t. B. (2017, February 01). Cylinder Seal with Ninurta. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
Museum, The Trustees of the British. "Cylinder Seal with Ninurta." *World History Encyclopedia*, February 01, 2017. .
### MLA
Museum, The Trustees of the British. "Cylinder Seal with Ninurta." *World History Encyclopedia*, 01 Feb 2017, .
## License & Copyright
[Original image](http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details/collection_image_gallery.aspx?assetId=575657001&objectId=369206&partId=1) by **The Trustees of the British Museum**. Submitted by [Ibolya Horváth](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/horvath.ibolya/ "User Page: Ibolya Horváth"), published on 01 February 2017. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.