A Lead Seal from the Laodikeia-Kandilkiri Excavations and an Overall Assessment of Seal Use in South-Western Anatolia During the Early Bronze Age

Abstract

Kandilkırı, one of the two prehistoric settlements of the ancient city of Laodikeia on the Lykos River (Laodicea ad Lycum), was settled during the Early Bronze Age (EBA) 2 and 3 periods. The present study attempts to provide an overall assessment of questions pertaining to seals and sealing practices in south-western Anatolia, raised due to the discovery of a lead stamp seal at Kandilkırı. In EBA 2, metal seals appeared alongside the pre-existing clay ones, and by the end of the EBA 3, negatives of metal seals seem to have been added to the ‘trinket mould’ repertoire of artisans, who mainly cast lead and were active along the trade routes. The custom of seal usage in the Near East seems to have been partially adopted in south-west Anatolia in the EBA, then passed to mainland Greece from this region. It is proposed that the south-western corner of Anatolia might have played a more active role in the transport of Near Eastern ideas as a result of its closer proximity to the Mediterranean coast, and that at least a part of this connection might have been established via sea routes. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd