Seals were often made of stone however there are also examples rendered in bone, ivory, faience, glass, metal, wood, and even sun-dried or baked clay. In the ancient world, seals guaranteed the authenticity of marked ownership – as such, they were instrumental in legal transactions, and in the protection of goods against theft. Stamp seals and cylinder seals were the predominant types in the ancient Near East while seal amulets with stylised animals have been found throughout Mesopotamia in contexts dating to the late fourth millennium BC.
To discover more about Western Asiatic stamp seals, please visit our blog: Making their Mark: A Concise Guide to Western Asiatic Stamp Seals
