Mudbrick stamp
Encyclopedia
The mudbrick stamp, or brick seal of Mesopotamia
are impression
or stamp seal
s made upon bricks or mudbrick
. The inscribed seal is in mirror
reverse on the 'mold', mostly with cuneiform
inscriptions, and the foundation mudbricks are often part of the memorializing of temples, or other structures, as part of a "foundation deposit
", a common honoring or invocation to a specific god or protector.
of Larsa
is housed in the Louvre. It is a nearly complete mold, with an inscription in cuneiform to the Sun God, Utu
, as a foundation deposit
for the god's temple, the Ebbabar.
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
are impression
Impression seal
The impression seal is a common seal that leaves an impression, typically in clay and less often in wax. In antiquity they were common, largely because they served to authenticate legal documents, such as tax receipts, contracts, wills and decrees...
or stamp seal
Stamp seal
The stamp seal is a carved object, usually stone, first made in the 4th millennium BC, and probably earlier. They were used to impress their picture or inscription into soft, prepared clay....
s made upon bricks or mudbrick
Mudbrick
A mudbrick is a firefree brick, made of a mixture of clay, mud, sand, and water mixed with a binding material such as rice husks or straw. They use a stiff mixture and let them dry in the sun for 25 days....
. The inscribed seal is in mirror
Mirror
A mirror is an object that reflects light or sound in a way that preserves much of its original quality prior to its contact with the mirror. Some mirrors also filter out some wavelengths, while preserving other wavelengths in the reflection...
reverse on the 'mold', mostly with cuneiform
Cuneiform
Cuneiform can refer to:*Cuneiform script, an ancient writing system originating in Mesopotamia in the 4th millennium BC*Cuneiform , three bones in the human foot*Cuneiform Records, a music record label...
inscriptions, and the foundation mudbricks are often part of the memorializing of temples, or other structures, as part of a "foundation deposit
Foundation deposit
Foundation deposits are ritual mudbrick lined pits or holes dug at specific points under Ancient Egyptian temples or tombs, which were filled with ceremonial objects, usually amulets, scarabs, food, or ritual miniature tools, and were supposed to prevent the building from falling into...
", a common honoring or invocation to a specific god or protector.
Example mudbrick seal
The brick stamping mold for Sin-IddinamSin-Iddinam
Sin-Iddinam ruled the ancient Near East city-stateof Larsa from 1785 BC to 1778 BC. He was the son of Nur-Adad, withwhom there may have been a short co-regency overlap....
of Larsa
Larsa
Larsa was an important city of ancient Sumer, the center of the cult of the sun god Utu. It lies some 25 km southeast of Uruk in Iraq's Dhi Qar Governorate, near the east bank of the Shatt-en-Nil canal at the site of the modern settlement Tell as-Senkereh or Sankarah.-History:According to...
is housed in the Louvre. It is a nearly complete mold, with an inscription in cuneiform to the Sun God, Utu
Utu
Utu is the Sun god in Sumerian mythology, the son of the moon god Nanna and the goddess Ningal. His brother and sisters are Ishkur and Inanna and Erishkigal....
, as a foundation deposit
Foundation deposit
Foundation deposits are ritual mudbrick lined pits or holes dug at specific points under Ancient Egyptian temples or tombs, which were filled with ceremonial objects, usually amulets, scarabs, food, or ritual miniature tools, and were supposed to prevent the building from falling into...
for the god's temple, the Ebbabar.
