Compartmented stamp seal
Unknown Artist
ca. late 3rd–early 2nd millennium BCE
Medium
Copper alloy
Dimensions
1.81 in. (4.6 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Stamp Seals
Culture & Period
Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex · Bronze Age
Department
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Steven D. Robinson, 1992
Accession Number
1992.149.2
Art Historical Context
This exquisite compartmented stamp seal, crafted from copper alloy around the late 3rd to early 2nd millennium BCE hails from the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological ComplexBMAC)—a Bronze Age civilization flourishing in Central Asia along the Oxus River (modern-day northern Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan). just 1.81 inches (4.6 cm), its petite size belies its practical power as a tool for sealing clay documents, goods, or doors, marking ownership and authority in a bustling network of trade and urban centers. Stamp seals like this one were hallmarks of BMAC society, reflecting advanced...