ABSTRACT
Our knowledge of Babylonian and Assyrian symbolism, and especially of the symbolical representations of the gods of their pantheon, is derived chiefly from a study of cylinder seals, boundary stones, and the monoliths of Assyrian kings. The seal was a most important article in early primitive society, and its purpose was mainly to prevent any theft from taking place without detection. It was thus to the people of the ancient world what locks and keys are to us, and Herodotus (i, 195) tells us that in his time, every person in Babylonia carried about a seal as well as a walking stick. For example, if a man wished to leave his house and goods for some time, without having anyone to guard them, he would stick plasters of mud on the door, and then impress them with his seal, so that the seal would have to be broken by anyone wishing to enter the house, and robbery could thus be detected if not actually prevented.
