A 3rd millennium BC stone stamp seal from the Omani site of Qumayrah Ayn 3
A 3rd millennium BC stone stamp seal from the Omani site of Qumayrah Ayn 3

Author(s): Agnieszka Pieńkowska
Subject(s): Archaeology, Ancient World
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: stamp seal; archaeology of Arabian Gulf; Om; Qumayrah Valley; Bronze Age; Umm an-Nar
Summary/Abstract: Bronze Age seals are a fairly common find in Mesopotamia, the IndusValley and the northern part of the Arabian Gulf. Conversely, theseal assemblage from the southeastern Arabian Peninsula, where sealsemerged in the 3rd millennium BC, is sparse and heavily diversifiedin terms of shape, size and decoration. Moreover, no characteristicseal type was developed in the area and the bulk of the examples areimports or imitations of seals from other regions. A stone stamp sealfrom the second half of the 3rd millennium BC, found at the siteof Qumayrah Ayn 3 in northwestern Oman by the Polish–OmaniArchaeological Mission (PCMA UW) has no known parallels andseems to be of local provenience. It fosters a return to the discussionof the actual function of these seals and the reasons for their rarity inthis part of the Arabian Peninsula.

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