Arno Poebel Collection

Arno Poebel (1881-1958) was an internationally esteemed scholar of ancient Near Eastern studies and a prolific writer especially in the field of Sumerian language and literature. He was a professor of Assyriology and Sumerology in the Oriental…

From the Third Dynasty of Ur (22nd-21st centuries BCE), this seal depicts a hero, clutching a weapon, in combat with a lion. It appears the goddess Ishtar restrains the lion by grabbing its tail.

Dating to the Achaemenid Period (550-330 BCE), this seal shows a winged man wearing a horned helmet. On either side are two men and above the central figure’s head is the winged disk, which here represents Ahuramazda, a Persian deity.

The seal (1100-600 BCE) shows the composite fish-man, a figure known from Assyrian texts, which is buried in houses as a protection against illness. The fish-men are typically identified with seven sages or demigods who brought civilization and…