Stamp seal
The
Stamp seal and the
Cylinder seal are stone type seals, first made in the Fourth Millennium and probably earlier. They were made of a hard material (stone), and used to "impress" their "markings" (picture, inscription, etc.) into typically soft, prepared clay.
This discussion does not adddress the "authority" (i.e., authorization) of the
Stamp seals, nor their themes (e.g.,
glyptic) or topics.
At the moment, the only references are the
Tell Halaf stamps from the Halafian Culture in northern Syria on the Turkish border, and the much later
LMLK stamps found primarily in
Lachish.
*
Impression seal*
Cylinder seal*
Bulla (seal)* For the
"Stamp seal":**
LMLK seals from
Lachish, ca 700 BCE. (Also
MMST,
"LMLK seal" discussion.)
**
Tell Halaf* Garbini.
Landmarks of the World's Art, The Ancient World, by Giovanni Garbini, (McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, Toronto), General Eds, Bernard S. Myers, New York, Trewin Copplestone, London, c 1966. Numerous examples of the
Cylinder seal; ( 3 ) separate Discussions (only) of "Stamp sealing". No seals, or impressions thereof.
