Drinking Scenes in Ancient Mesopotamia in the Light of the Seals from Tall al-Faras

Abstract

At the site of Tell al-Faras in Iraq a hole was found in the floor of one room, which contained a number of artistic objects, including 23 cylinder seals, dated to the third Early Dynastic period (2600–2350 BC). Eight of those seals depict drinking scenes. Seven of them are studied in this article, in which we clarify the importance of drinking in ancient Mesopotamia, the occasions in which drinking councils are held, who the drinkers were, and the purpose of depicting these scenes. Based on a corpus of 160 known seals engraved with scenes of drinking, we explain the design of the artistic scene in the seal, the numbers of drinkers and those in charge of their service, and the means of drinking in them.