War of the lords : the battle of chronology : trying to recognize iconography in the third millennium Glyptic art, Ishqi-Mari and Beydar sealings

The lively dispute concerning the historical reconstruction of military events at the end of the Early Dynastic period and the beginning of the Akkadian hegemony in Syria can be enriched by the recently unearthed seal impressions from Mari and Tell Beydar. During the Early Dynastic as well as the Akkadian period important historic or military events were often translated to historical documents as well as to royal art. The best-known examples from both periods are the Stele of the Vultures from Lagash and the Stele from Naram- Sin, both supplemented by inscriptions reciting the occurrence. However, newly discovered sealings from both mentioned sites also show impressive war iconography, which the authors desire to relate to the decoration of the ancient palaces and other victory monuments, and in doing so assign to them an historical dimension. The seal impressions have also put forward interesting issues on the chronology and iconography of the 3rd millennium seal designs. Direct as well as indirect data will shed light on these different stances during the analyses and the further interpretation of the sealings and their wider context