soldiers are seen covering their heads with narrow helmets, possibly made of leather
(Aruz 2003 : 201. cat. no. 129 a, and 204 , cat. no. 131 ). A recent discovery from Tell al-
Baqarat in eastern Iraq of a fragment of a stele depicts a helmeted soldier. On the basalt
stele, Naram-Sin has an elaborate long beard and wears a conical brimmed cap/crown
decorated with horizontal lines. What is left of the hair indicates that it was gathered
into a chignon (Aruz 2003 : 203 , fig. 130 ). On the Louvre stela, he is wearing a unique
crown, a horned helmet, a symbol of divinity–Naram-Sin considered himself a god and
king (Aruz 2003 : 196 , fig. 59 )
Most of the evidence for Akkadian dress comes from royal personages on commem-
orative monuments where ordinary citizens are seldom represented. One unusual
cylinder seal in the British Museum shows male figures wearing a variety of styles (see
Figure 16. 3 a and b this volume). The seal belonged to Kalki the scribe, the servant of
Ubil Eshtar, the central figure on this seal, a high-ranking official indicated by the flat
cap, short beard and with his hair gathered at the back into a bun. His short fleeced
garment is worn over one shoulder, leaving the other shoulder bare. Two figures stand
in front of him, possibly his attendants–the first wears the short wrapped kilt and shoes
with upturned toes. This is a rare example of shoes depicted on a cylinder seal; another
seal also in the British Museum (Collon 1982 : 213 , pl. XXXI), depicts a nude hero
wearing boots from the Diyala region and dating to the ED period. A further example
is the Proto Elamite horned demons who also wear boots with turned up toes (Aruz
2003 : 46 – 47 , pl. 15 a and b), otherwise, all figures, male or female, are seen with bare
feet, due perhaps to the religious nature of the representations.
The main figure’s uniform on the Kalki seal and the weapons he is carrying could
be an indication of his position which in our modern language may be that of a
bodyguard. The dress of the second and fifth figures is similar to Ubil-Eshtar, but being
of lower rank they wear no caps and their hair is left loose. Kalki, the owner of the seal,
must be the figure behind Ubil-Eshtar, he is beardless and bare headed, wearing a plain
knee-length fringed garment that covers one shoulder and part of one arm. This style
of outfit with slight variations is the predominant one to be seen on most ordinary
Akkadian men, a tradition that continued for several centuries to the Old Babylonian
period (see below).
A good example of this basic style of worshipper’s dress which was adopted with little
variation is best illustrated on a reused lapis-lazuli seal from Tell Suleimeh. Little of the
original Akkadian scene has survived (the hoofs of a goat or bull), the original
inscription had been erased and replaced by an Ur III one and second smaller writing
was added by his son. It is the worshipper who has kept most of its original features with
few retouches to give it the appearance of the contemporary Ur III period (Figure 19. 6 ).
Women’s dressThe Disk of Enheduanna, the daughter of Sargon, illustrates the dress of a prominent
female in the earlier phase of the Akkadian period (Figure 12.1). She is wearing a
brimmed cap seen earlier on the priestesses of the Early Dynastic period (see above).
Her garment consisted of several tiers of flounced material, a type that from the
Akkadian to the Old Babylonian periods was the traditional style for the gods.
The female figure was not as popular as the male, but enough examples occur on
seals to give a good picture of feminine fashion. Like the male dress, it is the fringed
–– A note on Sumerian fashion ––