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LESSON 1

What is a Lentoid? An Amygdaloid? A Cushion?

But, Maria, tell me, what is a lentoid?

A lentoid Fritz? Ach, this is an easy one! A lentoid is a seal with round convex faces! It looks like a lentil and this is why it is named like this. It is introduced in at the end of the Middle Bronze Age in Aegean glyptic and from the start of the Late Bronze Age it becomes the most popular seal shape!

Aha... hmmm... And are there any other seal shapes used in this period?

Yes, this is the period where shapes in Aegean glyptic become standardized, by which we mean there are much fewer shapes than in the previous period and those that exist have common characteristics! So the most commonly used shapes in this period are the lentoid, the amygdaloid and the cushion!

Ok, I understand... Why do we call the other two shapes amygdaloid and cushion? Can you eat them? Can you sleep on them?

Good question! No you cannot eat them or sleep on them... It is just that one is shaped like an almond (in Greek amygdalon αμύγδαλον) and the other like a rectangular cushion. Even their profile is similar to these objects because their faces are convex!

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