Mathematical Investigation of Glyptic Iconographies: A New Synthesis

The huge and long-lasting production of cylinder seals in ancient Western Asia is one of the most typical features which characterized its civilizations along almost three millennia. In the history of the past experiences of quantitative research on artefacts and visual languages of pre-classical Near and Middle East the cylinder seals have played a major role. This is probably due to the long life of these products, but also to their peculiar functions and to some technical issues, like, e.g., the physical constraints bound to the shape and dimensions of these objects. This paper presents an approach to Mesopotamian glyptic iconography which is, on one hand, the evolution of the application of long tested mathematical methods integrated with new ones, and, on the other hand, the possible starting point for new ways of approaching the interpretation and classification of the figurative languages represented in cylinder seals' carvings.