Archaeology Magazine - June 1957 - 63

instruments,from pre-Hellenictimes to
the fall of Constantinople.
Curtis Dahl, Wheaton College. A
study of 19th century archaeological
discoveriesin relation to the cultural
history of the West.
Benno Landsberger, Oriental Institute, University of Chicago. Studies
of the languages and cultures of the
ancient Middle East.
Paul Lachlan Mackendrick, Universityof Wisconsin.Studiesof Roman
colonizationin the Republican period.
John Howland Rowe, University
of California. Studies of Inca leadership during Spanish Colonial rule.
Benjamin Rowland, Jr., Harvard
University. Studies of Greek, Roman
and early Christian antiques in Italian
collections,in their relation to classic
art in India.
Pauline Simmons, Metropolitan
Museumof Art. Studies of 7th and 8th
century Chinese and Japanese textiles.
Renata Von Scheliha, New Haven, Connecticut.Studies of the musical and poetical contestsof the Greeks.
Forged North Syrian Seals
During the past few years small
numbers of cylinder seals produced by
a forger in Syria have been brought to
the United States. Recently, however,
there appeared a collection of two
hundred and fifty pieces, said to have
been found in three tombs near Latakia
but obviouslycarved by the same man.
Although the collectionis at present in
the Near East, it seems likely that efforts will be made to dispose of it in
the United States.
These forgeries are more difficult to
recognizethan others because the seal
cutter has developed a crude but consistent style. Examples are given here
from the collection of Dr. Leland C.
Wyman of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. Dr. Wyman purchased them in
Aleppo in the summer of 1954, and
has kindly permitted the reproduction
of impressions.
The seals are all made of soft steatite, black or green in color. The edges
of the engraving never show any wear,
which is some indication of recent
manufacture,although occasionallyancient cylinder seals are also found in
pristine condition. The seals range
from a height of 22 mm. and a diameter of 8 mm. to a height of 56 mm.
and a diameter of 12 mm., but the

majority are between 30 and 40 mm.
with diameter between 12 and 14 mm.
The subject most common on the
cylinders is a procession of tall, ovalheaded, wide-shoulderedfigures (Nos.
1-3), either men or women, rarely both
on one seal. The figures are of equal
height, or sometimesone is larger than
the others, who are then shown in an
upper register with the space below
filled by long-bodiedanimals with upward-curving tails (No. 1). The men
are nude except for two horizontal
lines at the waist, indicating a belt;
one of them often holds a spear with
double point and a globe at one end.
The women have skirts indicated by
two curving lines which flare out below (No. 2). The tree most often
found has branches indicated by opposing curved lines (No. 3) often ending in small globes. A favorite filler is
a scorpion (No. 1); others are birds
(No. 4), fishes, frogs and drillings in
a cluster of three (No. 1).
Not illustrated here are the forger's
recent, more ambitious ventures, scenes
which include animals with long-curving horns and a bird with body indicated by one rather graceful line and
wings with ladder design- as well as
inscriptions.A few of the§e seals were
copied from the well known cylinder
of Matrunna, daughter of king Aplahanda of Carchemish, now in the
Moore collection but found at Ras
Shamra in Syria in 1928, before Prof.
C. F. A. Schaeffer'sexcavations at the
site (cf. G. A. Eisen, Ancient Oriental
Cylinders . . . [Chicago1940]page 58,
s.v. 130). Latakia, the site where the
collectionis said to have been found, is
close to Ras Shamra. A number of the
forgeries indeed recall cylinders exca-

vated by Prof. Schaefer and published
in Syria XII (1931) Plate 3, No. 1.
Probably the forger was able to lay
his hands on other seals found at Ras
Shamra, perhaps during the period
when M. Schaeffer's work was interrupted during and after the Second
World War.
In addition to cylinder seals, the
forger has also produced stamp seals, *
most frequently of the North Syrian
ledge-handle type (No. 5) but also in
the shape of a truncated pyramid (No.
6) or of a cone with rounded top (No.
7). The most successful designs show
a horned animal, with fillers nicely
fitted into the space. Usually the design is enclosedin a fine line (No. 4).*
It is hoped that this brief description will prevent these forgeries from
"
becoming an accepted 'crude North
Syrian group" in private and public
collections of the United States and
Europe.
Edith Porada
Pacific Science Congress
Archaeology will play a large part
in the sessions of the Ninth Pacific
Science Congress, which is scheduled
to take place in Bangkok, Thailand,
from November 18th to December9th,
1957. Professor Phya Anumarn Rajdhon of the Royal Institute in Bangkok
is OrganizingChairman of the Anthropology sessions. Anyone wishing to
present a paper at the Congress must
see that an abstract (not more than
400 words), accompaniedby the paper
in its final form, is in his hands by
August first.
Membersof the AmericanBranch of
the Far-Eastern Prehistory Association
143

Archaeology Magazine - June 1957

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