Stamp Seals as Jewelry

Stamp seals had various functions in the Iron Age southern Levant. In addition to their use as stamping devices, they were also worn on the body like other pieces of jewelry and thus formed but one part of a larger design comprising different objects (e.g., metal wires, pins, fibulae). In their archaeological contexts, however, most seals are detached from their original mountings. Thus, we are left wondering how such a seal was displayed when worn on the body. As part of a more extensive ongoing study on the function of stamp seals during the Iron Age, this article examines how seal impressions can serve as an important dataset to begin identifying specific mounting techniques and, thus, the possible ways different seals were used as jewelry

Archaeology · Art · History · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology · Metallurgy and Cultural Artifacts

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