Bactrian Compartmented Stamp Seal

Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC), c. 2200–1700 BC, Central Asia

A superb and intricately cast copper-alloy openwork stamp seal, designed in an elegant geometric cross motif framed by double borders. The back is flat and features a central suspension loop, while the tips of two spokes show ancient breaks. This type belongs to the remarkable group of “compartmented” seals, produced in both geometric and figural patterns during the Bronze Age.

Compartmented seals represent some of the most technically sophisticated artifacts of the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex. Cast using the lost-wax process, these objects reveal the exceptional metallurgical expertise of their makers — a mastery confirmed by the discovery of broken molds in situ at Gonur Depe. Most examples were made in arsenical copper, though rarer variants in gold, silver, or lead are also known.

Such seals are emblematic of the BMAC, or Oxus Civilization, a Bronze Age culture flourishing along the upper Amu Darya (Oxus River) in present-day Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, southern Uzbekistan, and western Tajikistan. The culture’s influence extended as far as Baluchistan and southern Afghanistan, where related artifacts have also been uncovered. These compartmented seals, with their complex patterns and refined workmanship, embody the artistic and technological sophistication of one of Central Asia’s earliest urban civilizations.

Good condition. Surface wear and abrasions consistent with age; minor chips, nicks, and attractive patina with earthly encrustations. Size approx. 4,3cm x 3,9cm x 1,1cm.

Provenance: Dutch private collection.

For a similar example see:

Compartmented stamp seal, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number: 1983.535.140 (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326879)

References and further reading:

Margus, Turkmenistan: Ancient oriental kingdom in the old delta of the Murghab river, Wiktor Sarianidi, Publisher Benatzky Druck & Medien, January 1, 2002.

Treasures from the Oxus: The Art and Civilization of Central Asia, Massimo Vidale, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2017.

Thinking Around Grave 3245 in the 'Royal Graveyard' of Gonur (Murghab Delta, Turkmenistan), in: On the Track of Uncovering a Civilisation. A volume in honor of the 80th-anniversary of Victor Sarianidi, Sandro Salvatori, 2010.