KIŠIB builds a comprehensive digital corpus of ancient West Asian seals and sealings – connecting objects, images, people, and places across millennia. We combine archaeological, philological and digital expertise to make these fascinating artefacts accessible to scholars and the public worldwide.
Project news
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KIŠIB Conference 2026 – Save the date!
We are delighted to announce the first KIŠIB Conference, to be held from 22–24 July 2026 at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Munich. Under the theme “Why sealing? From sealed clay to social interaction in ancient West Asia”, this three-day conference brings together leading scholars to explore…
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Welcome to the new KIŠIB website!
We are pleased to welcome you to the official website of the KIŠIB – Digital Corpus of Ancient West Asian Seals and Sealings project!
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What we do in the storerooms
This blog post introduces the ancient West Asian seals and sealings of the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg. While some objects have been published before, large parts of the collection are only now being systematically documented and analysed. Recent work, collaborations, and scientific methods open the way for…
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KIŠIB Kick-off at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities
November 17, 2025 marked a special milestone for our project: the official kick-off event of KIŠIB – Digital Corpus of Ancient West Asian Seals and Sealings took place at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. The event brought together colleagues, partners, and friends to celebrate the launch of this…
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KIŠIB team retreat 2025
For the last three days, the KIŠIB team left behind our desks, screens, and city routines to gather at Kloster Banz near Bamberg. It was our very first team retreat, and for many of us the first chance to spend extended time together outside the usual project meetings. The monastery’s…
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From seal to impression: Unrolling a pictorial treasure
On August 13, the KIŠIB team joined colleagues at the Free University of Berlin to explore ancient Mesopotamian cylinder seals in a very hands-on way: by rolling them out on modeling clay and creating a new series of impressions. Rolling Seals, Ancient Practice Revisited It was a quiet but focused…
How to contribute
Help us build the most comprehensive digital corpus of ancient West Asian seals and sealings. If you have an object to share, we would love to hear from you!
✨ Current Highlight
What we do in the storerooms
This post introduces the seals and sealings of the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg, explored within the KIŠIB project. While some objects were published decades ago, much of the collection remained undocumented until recently. An initial survey in 2021, followed by extended work in 2023 funded by the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft, recorded 62 cylinder seals, 99 stamp seals, and 23 cuneiform objects ranging from prehistory to the Sasanian period. Collaborations with museum staff and external researchers brought in methods such as 3D recording and Raman spectroscopy. The results will be integrated into the KIŠIB database and form the basis for future publications.
Openness & Curiosity
We welcome new ideas, explore new paths, and remain curious about the unknown.
Collaboration
We value teamwork and build strong networks with projects, institutions, and communities.
Respect
We build on over a century of seal research, honouring and integrating past achievements.
Innovation
We apply state-of-the-art digital tools and strategies to create new opportunities for research.