Final answer:
The Sumerian cylinder seal's use of different sizes for figures represents the use of the hierarchy of scale to indicate social status, with larger figures signifying higher social or religious importance. The correct option is 1.
Step-by-step explanation:
The impression made by a Sumerian cylinder seal with figures arranged in varying sizes is an example of using proportions to connote hierarchy. This artistic technique, known as the hierarchy of scale, was frequently employed in ancient cultures where the size of a figure in the art piece corresponded to their social or religious importance.
Observing that the larger figures are seated and the smaller figures are standing is an indication that those seated held higher status, possibly as deities or royalty, and the standing figures were of lower status, such as servants or subjects.
In these artworks, the difference in scale was the most common method to depict hierarchy, with kings often shown at the same scale as deities, to emphasize their power and divine right, towering over the elite and the average person. Likewise, seal owners' social rank and sometimes even their names could be derived from the iconography on the seals which acted as their signatures on documents.
Through the understanding of scale and proportion, we gain insights into the cultural and societal structures of ancient civilizations.