How did the Mesopotamian clay tokens known as bulla actually work to maintain authenticity?

History

What are clay tokens or bullae?

Bullae were hollow spheres of clay used to contain smaller clay arti– facts shaped into cones, tetrahedrons, spheres, and disks; age-wise, they were roughly contemporary to early Uruk (3500–3200 BCE), the period of early Mesopotamian histo- ry named for the city that typified its culture.

What were clay tokens used for?

Scholars believe that clay tokens were used to express numerical quantities of goods. They occur in two sizes (larger and smaller), a difference that may have been used as a means of counting and manipulating quantities.
 

What is a bulla in Mesopotamia?

BULLAE, the sealings, usually of clay or bitumen, on which were impressed the marks of seals showing ownership or witness to whatever was attached to the sealing. Bullae or clay sealings were used in ancient Mesopotamia, but strictly speaking bullae came into general use after the end of cuneiform writing.

What was the importance of tokens in ancient Mesopotamia?

The plain tokens stood for farm products: small and large cones, spheres and flat disks stood for different measures of barley; ovoids for jars of oil; cylinders and lenticular disks represented numbers of domesticated animals and tetrahedrons for units of labor.
 

What is a bulla and why was it used?

Roman boys, both rich and poor, would have been given a bulla, a special amulet to protect them until they safely reached adulthood.

What was a bulla and what was it used for?

A bulla (Medieval Latin for “a round seal”, from Classical Latin bulla, “bubble, blob”; plural bullae) is an inscribed clay or soft metal (such as lead or tin) or bitumen or wax token used in commercial and legal documentation as a form of authentication and for tamper-proofing whatever is attached to it (or, in the

Where were clay tokens first used?

Mesopotamian

Archaeological digs in the Mideast have uncovered thousands of small clay objects, dating from as far back as 7500 BCE. These objects, referred to as “tokens,” have specific shapes and markings indicating a designated, but until recently unknown, purpose.

Are clay tokens used for record keeping in Mesopotamia?

Originally discovered in the ancient Mesopotamian city of Uruk, clay tokens and their accessory, the clay envelope, are the earliest known form of record keeping. This proto-writing was a calculation tool which is not considered true writing, but is still clearly the direct predecessor.
 



For what purpose did the people of Mesopotamia use clay?

Clay was used for pottery, monumental buildings, and tablets used to record history and legends. The Mesopotamians developed their skills in pottery over thousands of years. At first they used their hands to make simple pots. Later they learned how to use a potter’s wheel.

What does a bullae?

Bullae are large blisters on the skin that are filled with clear fluid. Many different skin conditions can cause bullae to form. They can be caused by infection or inflammation of the skin. This is a typical early appearance of a poison ivy rash, located on the knee.

What is a bullae called?

It’s a type of blister. Bullae (pronounced as “bully”) is the plural word for bulla. To be classified as a bulla, the blister must be larger than 0.5 centimeters (5 millimeters) in diameter. Smaller blisters are called vesicles.

What are bullae in anthropology?

Bullae are small lumps of clay, often fingernail-sized and shaped as flat disks, which were usu- ally affixed to a cord binding a commodity or a document and then stamped with a seal. Hebrew bullae from the time of the Kingdom of Judah are known from recorded excavations as well as from the antiquities market.



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