Bullae

Historical period(s)
Possibly Hellenistic period, 330-31 BCE
Medium
Clay
Dimensions
H x W: 3.3 x 2.8 cm (1 5/16 x 1 1/8 in)
Geography
Mediterranean
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1916.702
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Tool and Equipment
Type

Bullae

Keywords
Hellenistic period (323 - 30 BCE), seal
Provenance

From at least 1916 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), acquired by at least 1916 [1]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [2]

Notes:

[1] See Reserved Pottery List, R. 6527, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. According to Accession List, Collections Management office, there are no purchase details recorded for this object.

[2] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919

Label

Clay lumps with impressions, so called bullae, often circular in shape, atre typically impressed with several, sometimes many seals. They were used to mark ownership of the objects they were originally attached to. Carrying the impressions of a number of seals the bullae are most valuable objects today in providing insights into the iconographic repertoire of ancient societies. While very few clay bullae have been found in the Mediterranean or Egypt, plenty of clay bullae have been excavated in administrative contexts and tombs in the Middle East and more recently, Central Asia.

Collection Area(s)
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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