Figure, symbol, and sign: Semiotics and function of Early Dynastic I cylinder seal imagery from Ur

This dissertation examines the structure and function of a unique corpus of cylinder seal imagery used by temple administrators at the site of Ur in the Early Dynastic I period in southern Mesopotamia. Cylinder seals during this time were used in conjunction with the Archaic Sumerian writing system to record information related to the storage and distribution of commodities. The seal-impressed and written systems were based on similar symbolic technologies that developed in the pre- and proto-literate periods. The investigation of the evolution of these earlier symbol-making systems, serves as the backdrop for the understanding of the specific image system used at Ur during the Early Dynastic I period.; Chapter two examines the archaeological context of the Seal Impression Strata at Ur, reviewing and offering new insights to the chronology of the site and the overall archaeological schema for southern Mesopotamia during the Early Dynastic periods. It also investigates the broader socio-political context of southern Mesopotamia highlighting the role played by the 'household' phenomenon at Ur, and reviews the functional uses of sealings as artifacts of that context. Chapter three outlines the semiotics of image-making and how symbols were used in the Early Dynastic I period, and suggests how we might begin to understand them today. Chapters four and five provide a detailed analysis and discussion of the various components of the cylinder seal image system at Ur.; It is argued that the cylinder seal image system used during this time at Ur was composed of various categories of elements; figural elements and abstract elements (including proto-cuneiform sign elements) played various roles. The image system and the proto-cuneiform system were both direct descendants of earlier glyptic imagery. But also, by this period (Early Dynastic I) at Ur, the glyptic imagery seems to also be adhering to newer rules of the writing system. The structure of the image system and its use suggest there was a complicated system of record keeping unique to the site of Ur, containing components of both glyptic imagery and written signs, and adhering to rules of both systems.