Cylinder seal made of lapis lazuli
A cylindrical seal made of lapis lazuli that belongs to the Sumerian queen Bu-Api (Shebaad). The seal was found near the queen’s remains in the Royal Cemetery of Ur. The seal dates back to about 2600 BC. The seal shows the queen in a scene of drinking a drink that may have been beer or wine. The writing on the seal is the Sumerian inscription of the queen’s name (Bu Abi)
Queen Bo-Abi, which means "the word of my father" due to a misunderstanding by Sir Charles Leonard Woolley, is now known as Queen Shebaad. She lived in Ur around 2600-2500 BC. Most of what is known about her comes from her grave, which was excavated in Ur between 1926 and 1932. It contained more treasure than the rest of the graves, as well as the skeletons of five soldiers and twenty-three female servants who were poisoned and buried to serve Shebad in her next life. There are several cylinder seals in her tomb assigning her the titles “Nin” or “Arish,” which is a Sumerian word that could refer to a queen or a priestess. He was an important figure among the Sumerians
Queen Shibad was less than five feet tall, and was about 40 years old when she died. She used a headdress with a wide wig.
Display location: The British Museum, photographed by me, 2022
Source: websites