Here's Looking at Ya with a Mesmerizing Divine Gaze, Mesopotamia's Early Dynastic I Period Cylinder Seal

This early Mesopotamian ritual and religious motif (#880) is from Henri Frankfort's, "Stratified Cylinder Seals from the Diyala Region". Documented as having been excavated from Tell Agrab, yet it's style and abstract composition are highly diagnostic of the Protoliterate to Early Dynastic I period, specifically the "Brocade Style" or geometric trends native to the Diyala valley rather than a later text heavy Ur III administration seal.

On the left, an abstracted, disembodied face stares directly forward with unnaturally large, wide eyes, heavily outlined eyebrows that join over a short nose, and a small oval mouth. 

It seems the owner wanted to combine elements to create a powerful apotropaic and devotional amulet/seal aimed at channeling divine protection. The rosettes and the disembodied visage are the premier symbols of Inanna (later Ishtar), the goddess of love, war, and fertility. In early Mesopotamian art, her face was often reduced to these prominent, mesmerizing eyes. For the owner, this "divine gaze" acted as an active protective shield, blessing legitimate transactions and warding off malevolent forces or deceitful parties who looked upon the seal impression.

In the center sits a stylized paneled structure flanked by loop like features, traditionally interpreted as a temple facade, city shrine or sacred enclosure. Running along the top border is a sequence of eight-petaled rosettes, or star symbols interspaced between the arches and the central shrine. The central temple or gatepost emblem references the symbols of Inanna. By embedding the temple structure directly into the design, the carver invoked the safety, economic stability, and divine favor protecting the community's shared resources and the seal bearer's personal property.

The eight petaled rosettes double as symbols for the morning and evening star Venus. They represent cosmic order and the presence of the heavens. having these symbols present on a personal administrative tool assured that any covenant, contract, or container secured by this seal was bound under cosmic law and protected by the gods.