The Glyptic of the Middle-Late Halaf Period at Domuztepe, Turkey (ca 5755-5450 BC)

Abstract

The Middle-Late Halaf (ca 5755-5450 BC) stamp seals from Domuztepe in Southeastern Turkey are presented. Four major types of stamp seals are described : 1. Bead seals ; 2. Seals with suspension loops ; 3. Seal-pendants ; 4. Block Seals. The most common seals are those with suspension loops (Type II) made in geometric shapes with incised lines that cross and re-cross each other decorating the seal face. The design principles, such as centering the pattern on the seal face around parallel, intersecting diagonal or intersecting perpendicular lines, were used across the Halaf horizon, suggesting that the seals like the pottery may indicate the participation of the residents of Domuztepe in a larger trans-regional cultural network. Only a few very fragmentary sealings are known from Domuztepe, but they indicate that the seals were used in ways similar to those found at Arpachiyah in the Burnt House where multiple impressions of the same and different seals were discovered. These finds point to a complex system of accountability and/ or exchange in which multiple parties or commodities were involved. Future work at Domuztepe will no doubt clarify the development of glyptic art and administrative practices in the Late 6th through Early 5th millennia. The messages transmitted by intricate geometric patterns that crosscut media and were trans-regional in their distribution will remain difficult to decipher.