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Seals and Sealing: Western Central Asia
 Return to Seals and Sealing
From the mid-third millennium B.C. a tradition of metal compartmented stamp seals emerged, as well as stone stamp seals of different shapes and stone cylinder seals decorated with geometric, floral, or representational patterns. The compartmented seals were cast, probably by the lost wax method, most commonly in a copper alloy, although examples are known in silver and, rarely, even in gold. They are flat and have square, round, or even figural outlines; their backs are either open or closed, with a geometric or representational design created by perpendicular strips of metal forming the compartments from which their name derives. The back, rarely decorated with relief or incisions, always has, in the middle, a triangular or squarish suspension loop. The compartmented seals are widely distributed throughout Iran although the overwhelming majority comes from western Central Asia.
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