The shape generally used by carvers of Hieroglyphic seals is the prismatic one (with three or four lateral faces). Among the exceptions are the seals with one face and the 4-sided bar from Arkhanes, already object of specific analyses; and the remaining group of “exceptions”, consisting of seals recognized as Hieroglyphic (numbered in CHIC) and of two seals which are not always included in the corpus of Hieroglyphic seals. This last group presents many common traits and constitutes a small corpus into the Hieroglyphic patrimony. We may hypothesize that at least the largest part of these “exceptional seals” were made in a period of transition and, generally, they do not seem to require specific new technologies. It seems likely that the group of seals as a whole were important objects and unique examples, with hard stone only used in a small minority of cases - and, eventually, as a work of later carvers with a taste of archaism. As to the shapes, it doesn’t seem pure chance that most of the seals do not conform to the common prismatic shape. From one side, we may suppose that they generally represent the first attempts by the seal-carvers to produce seals with script, using the shapes of the period, and that such seals are luxury items. Each of them may be considered an unicum, and cannot be assimilated to other Hieroglyphic seals. The care in the design is undeniable, and also the effort to engrave symbols with specific shapes appears evident. It may be significant that, with respect to many other inscribed seals, the craftsmen do not use ornamental or filling motifs (apart from occasional branches), probably because they consider the script-sign to be the ornamental object. We suppose that a difference between script and decoration is not yet felt and conscious.

A GROUP OF PECULIAR SEALS IN THE HIEROGLYPHIC CORPUS / Jasink A.M.. - In: STUDI MICENEI ED EGEO-ANATOLICI. - ISSN 1126-6651. - STAMPA. - 53:(2011), pp. 131-149.

A GROUP OF PECULIAR SEALS IN THE HIEROGLYPHIC CORPUS

JASINK, ANNA MARGHERITA
2011

Abstract

The shape generally used by carvers of Hieroglyphic seals is the prismatic one (with three or four lateral faces). Among the exceptions are the seals with one face and the 4-sided bar from Arkhanes, already object of specific analyses; and the remaining group of “exceptions”, consisting of seals recognized as Hieroglyphic (numbered in CHIC) and of two seals which are not always included in the corpus of Hieroglyphic seals. This last group presents many common traits and constitutes a small corpus into the Hieroglyphic patrimony. We may hypothesize that at least the largest part of these “exceptional seals” were made in a period of transition and, generally, they do not seem to require specific new technologies. It seems likely that the group of seals as a whole were important objects and unique examples, with hard stone only used in a small minority of cases - and, eventually, as a work of later carvers with a taste of archaism. As to the shapes, it doesn’t seem pure chance that most of the seals do not conform to the common prismatic shape. From one side, we may suppose that they generally represent the first attempts by the seal-carvers to produce seals with script, using the shapes of the period, and that such seals are luxury items. Each of them may be considered an unicum, and cannot be assimilated to other Hieroglyphic seals. The care in the design is undeniable, and also the effort to engrave symbols with specific shapes appears evident. It may be significant that, with respect to many other inscribed seals, the craftsmen do not use ornamental or filling motifs (apart from occasional branches), probably because they consider the script-sign to be the ornamental object. We suppose that a difference between script and decoration is not yet felt and conscious.
2011
53
131
149
Jasink A.M.
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Utilizza questo identificatore per citare o creare un link a questa risorsa: https://hdl.handle.net/2158/778151
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