Two 4,500-year-old seal impressions discovered on a Cycladic island may overturn everything we know about the birth of writing in the Aegean area.
On the small island of the Cyclades, Thirassia, which belongs to the volcanic islands of Santorini, a team of researchers has discovered two seal impressions that may change everything we know about the birth of writing in the Aegean.
The prints, discovered at the site of “Koimisi”, are almost 4,500 years old. In fact, they testify that the inhabitants of the region were experimenting with the use of organized symbols, possibly for the purpose of communication, much earlier than we thought until now.
The find consists of the handle of a large storage vessel, which archaeologists discovered in a Bronze Age settlement hall. It is noteworthy that the ceramic fragment preserves two different seals that were sealed before the jar was fired.
The researchers named them “THS.1” and “THS.2”.
Detail from the first seal THS.1. Photo: K. Sbonias et al. / V. Papazikou
Detail from the first seal THS.1. Photo: K. Sbonias et al. / V. Papazikou
Symbols of Cycladic Art
The first seal, THS.1, depicts a sequence of abstract symbols, aligned in three rows, forming a kind of inscription. Some of these symbols resemble leaves, spirals or schematic forms, but researchers do not yet know their exact meaning.
They are in sequence, which makes experts believe that it may be an early attempt by people of the time to convey information – possibly names indicative of the owner of the goods, or some similar message.
The second seal, THS.2, is more decorative in style, with geometric motifs characteristic of Cycladic art of the period, such as triangles and meanders.
Its shape is similar to that of other seals discovered on Greek islands and may have had a more decorative or identification function.
The origin of writing in the Aegean?
The earliest known forms of writing in the region, such as Cretan hieroglyphs (Early to Middle Bronze Age, c. 2100-1700 BC), or Linear A, appeared around 2,000 BC.
However, the seals of Therassia, dated between 2,700 and 2,300 BC, may be the missing link in the process – at least some of them.
“The later appearance of stamped handles in Crete further reinforces the non-Cretan origin of the vase with the impressed seal from Therassia, as indicated by the petrographic analysis,” explain the researchers, who point out that this is not a regular script, despite the regular arrangement of symbols in THS.1 – which refers to later systems, even to some symbols found on Cretan seals of later periods.
At the same time, they consider that the use of a multi-fold seal with three carved folds is unusual for the time. Therefore, whoever applied it, obviously wanted to reveal something more complex than a simple property mark.
Detail of the THS.2 seal impression. and the modern mold showing the mirror image of the original face of the seal. Photo: K. Sbonias et al. / V. Papazikou
Detail of the impression of the THS.2. stamp and a modern mold showing the mirrored design of the original stamp. Photo: K. Sbonias et al. / V. Papazikou
Ancient quality seal
Scientific analyses revealed that the vase was not from the region, but that the clay for its manufacture came from another Cycladic island, the island of Naxos, as a result of trade between the islands. In this sense, it may have had the inscription from the producer there or it may have been a symbol of prestige or power – as a quality seal of antiquity, indicative of its origin.
Full report in English at the magazine of the Annual of the British School in Athens.
