Clay seals-pintaderas from Sarvantepe settlement

Abstract

The settlement of Sarvantepe, belonging to the Late Bronze – Early Iron period (the second half of the II – the beginning of the I millennium BC), is located on the territory of the village of Chaily of the Gazakh district in the western part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The site is very rich in terms of archaeological materials and reflects the material culture of the region in the marked period. Numerous clay seals found on the settlement are of the greatest interest. So far, 40 similar artifacts have been identified at the settlement. They have different shapes and are not repeated by the patterned element. Such seals are characteristic of the settlements of the Late Bronze Age – Early Iron period of the Ganja-Gazakh zone. The specific purposes of using these seals are not fully specified. Some experts believe that these seals were used to decorate fabrics, to apply ornaments to ceramics and bread during baking. According to a number of researchers, similar seals found in Saritepe, Baba Dervish, Yastitepe, Garabulaq, Sari Reme, Poilu II, Toyretepe and Mingechevir were used to seal water dams and dams in small farms. Most of the Sarvantepe clay seals were made of gray clay, they were well baked. The ornament of most of them was applied by the method of cutting. A swastika-shaped image of a very mixed appearance is made on the working side of the seal.