Seal impressions shed light on ancient bureaucracy

Archeologists are tracing ancient seal impressions found in the 7,000-year-old Arslantepe Mound in the eastern province of Malatya to understand how bureaucracy was born.

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Seal impressions found in excavations at the mound, which is on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Permanent List, shed light on the bureaucratic structure of the period.

While excavations continue full speed at the site, an analysis is being carried out on 250 seal impressions found a few years ago in a 5,621-year-old temple in the area.

Marcella Frangipane, a professor of archaeology at the Sapienza University of Rome, retired after directing the excavations at the mound for 30 years.

Frangipane told state-run Anadolu Agency that during the excavations at the site in the mud-brick palace, known as the world's first royal palace, they found a total of 5,000 seal impressions and that they read them through reconstructions and published them in a book titled "Arslantepe."

Noting that she came to Malatya to work on a new book this year, Frangipane said they will examine the 250 seal impressions they found a few years ago from a temple dating back to an earlier period than the palace.

"We found a temple a few years ago. That temple is older than the palace, dating back to 3,600 B.C.," she said.

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Pointing out that 200-250 seal impressions were found inside the temple, Frangipane said: "This year, we are working on these seal impressions. Hopefully, it will be a good book, the science will be more complete."

"Now we know that the bureaucracy started before the palace. It was more sophisticated in the palace time. This is very important," she added.

Highlighting that they could not find any seals in the excavations...