Early Bronze Age sealing tradition of Küllüoba Höyük in the context of Anatolian sealing practice

Abstract

Different ideas have been put forward by the researchers for the functions of the seals made of baked clay, stone and metal. The most common view among these is that particularly beginning from the Early Bronze Age, seals were used for expressions of ownership and registration. Another view is that seals could be stamping tools used on the body or in textile printing. The pottery with seal impressions recovered in excavations is important archaeological evidence demonstrating that the find termed a ‘seal’ was used also for decorative purposes. A total of 11 stamp seals dated to the Early Bronze Age were recovered from Küllüoba Höyük between the years of 1996 and 2019. It could be observed that the stamp seals uncovered in Küllüoba share many common characteristics with those unearthed in other contemporary settlements in Anatolia. Particularly, the close resemblance of the motifs seen on the stamping surfaces of the seals gives rise to the thought that there was a common sealing tradition in Anatolia in the Early Bronze Age. Towards the end of the Early Bronze Age, an organized trade had developed as a result of the close relations with distant regions. This study aims to examine the seals that have been found in the excavations at Küllüoba Höyük, located in Western Central Anatolia, which lay along a significant trade route and which has provided important data on urbanization and trade in the EBA. © 2020, Charles University, Faculty of Arts. All rights reserved.