URUK SEALS OF EASTERN ANATOLIA: ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDINGS AND INTERPRETATIONS

Abstract

The phase after the Ubaid Period in Mesopotamia is called the Uruk Period. This culture coincides
with the Chalcolithic Period of Eastern Anatolia. During the Uruk Period, Mesopotamia developed
agriculturally. However, due to its insufficiency in terms of natural resources such as minerals and
timber, they established a trade strategy centered on Eastern Anatolia, especially in the 4th
millennium BC. One of the most important evidences of this trade system is seals. Made of various
materials such as stone, metal, wood, glass, bone, faience and clay, seals can be of various types
including stamp, cylinder and stamp-cylinder. Seals with functions such as ornamentation,
protection from evil forces, confirmation and security were unearthed at Çatalhöyük in the Neolithic
Period in Anatolia. Seals from the Uruk Period were also found in centers such as ElazığNorşuntepe and Çınaz Höyük and Malatya-Arslantepe in the Eastern Anatolia Region. While the
seals of Elazığ-Norşuntepe and Çınaz Höyük consist of stamp seals, Malatya-Arslantepe has
cylinder seals as well as stamp seals. The stamp seals found at Norşuntepe and Çınaz Höyük are
predominantly round stamps, but there are also square stamps. Geometric motifs and stylized
animal figures were used as decoration elements. They usually have round rope holes on the back.
The stamp seals from Malatya-Arslantepe are round in shape. Geometric motifs and stylized
depictions of humans, snakes, rams, deer and mixed creatures are found on this type of seals. In
addition to stamp seals, there are also cylinder seals at Arslantepe. This type of seals mostly depict
agricultural activities. They depict people plowing fields with oxen pulling the plow. Although the
seals found in the mentioned centers are similar in form, they show some differences in terms of
decoration. However, it is possible to say that all the examples are influenced by the seals of the
Uruk Period in terms of decoration and subject matter.