Sale: CNG 63, Lot: 2008. Estimate $750.  Closing Date: Wednesday, 21 May 2003.  Sold For $900. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

MESOPOTAMIA. Akkadian cylinder seal. Circa 2300-2200 BC. Black stone with white veins, 29x17 mm. The god Enki-Ea seated right, holding an overflowing vase (beer jar?). He faces three standing figures, two subsidiary gods and a human worshipper bearing an offering. Good condition, somewhat worn. ($750)

Beer was first brewed in Mesopotamia, and was regarded as the gift of the gods. It was more a thick mash than the drink we know today, and had to be drunk through a straw or reed. The object held by Enki may be an ancient beer mug!