Hi, all. Here is a
Roman lead seal from
Caesarea. The
obverse I am pretty sure is a
horse, but the
reverse is a question. It looks like a pair of talons and a wing, so maybe an
eagle facing or rooster to right. From some angles the shadows make it look like a
sphinx or
griffin like creature is possible. The
horse seems pretty common but I have not found any
good comparisons for the
reverse, or for the two images together. Any ideas on how to date this, corrections, or similar examples to reference, would be appreciated. Thanks, again. Jimi
BCC LS23
Lead seal
Caesarea Maritima
Roman 1st-4th Century CE
Obv:
Horse standing to right on ground line,
palm branch? in front and above, within circular
border.
Rev: Uncertain figure,
eagle?, rooster?, or
Sphinx?, facing
or crouching right on ground line, within circular
border.
Weak strike, partially obscured by channel.
Pb17 x 12.75 x 5mm 4.69gm.
Axis:0
Surface find
Caesarea Maritima, 1977
(click for larger pic)