Image Details

From The Aidonia Treasure: Seals and Jewellery of the Aegean Late Bronze Age

Regal lions again represent royal power on this 14th-century B.C. stone seal (shown here, comapre with photo of Lion Gate at Mycenae) from a Mycenaean tomb. The royal administration would stamp documents or shipments of goods with elaborately carved seals made of gold, silver or semi-precious stones (this one is made of sardonyx, a stone often used for cameos). The seal impression would then travel with the documents or shipments—carrying symbols of royal power to the far corners of the realm and to other realms, as well.