gems, glyptic, engraved gems, agate, cameo, intaglio, CMS, Corpus of Minoan and Mycenaean Seals

The publication series “Corpus der minoischen und mykenischen Siegel (CMS)” (“Corpus of Minoan and Mycenaean Seals”) currently consists of 13 volumes, some of them in several parts (CMS I-XIII) as well as 10 supplements, publishing more than 9,000 Minoan and Mycenaean seals as well as seal impressions in a standardized format. The material in the series is organized according to where it is kept. Volumes CMS I-V are devoted to items kept in Greek collections (e.g. the National Museum of Athens; Heraklion Archeological Museum), CMS VI-XI (incl. supplements) to that of other European collections (e.g. British Museum London; The Ashmolean Museum Oxford), and CMS XII-XIII to North American collections. The ten supplementary volumes (Beihefte) report proceedings of international conferences organized by the CMS, or studies dedicated to individual topics such as talisman seals etc. The volumes which have been published in print since 1964 are now gradually made available online in Open Access via Propylaeum-eBooks in collaboration with the persons in charge at CMS. Volume XII presents the seals from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which prides itself on possessing one of the most comprehensive collections of Minoan and Mycenaean seals. These were bequeathed to the museum from the collection of Richard B. Seager. The museum holds many important seals, especially in the categories of three-sided prisms from phases MM I–II, seals from LM I, as well as talismanic seals. However, only a few specimens have documented findspots. The pieces are arranged in chronological order, following the FM – MM – LM datings, with transitional phases taken into account.