5,000-year-old bureaucracy: Over 7,000 prehistoric seal impressions uncovered in western Iran

In the journal Antiquity, Dr. Shokouh Khosravi published preliminary findings of the largest known corpus of prehistoric seal impressions in the entire ancient world. The corpus, made up of over 7,000 seal impressions, more than 200 clay figurines, clay tokens, and two cylinder seals, dates back to 5,000 years ago and speaks to the fact that Tapeh Tyalineh was likely an important center involved in extensive commercial exchange, necessitating a large administrative system that likely left behind these seals.

Some of the earliest states arose from the development of administrative institutions whose task was to manage economic and social affairs. Such early bureaucratic institutions have been identified in the Fars highlands of Iran and the lowlands of Susiana since at least the late fifth and early fourth millennia.

While seals and sealings are found in south-western Iran, they are scarce in the Central Iranian Plateau and north-western Iran before the advent of the Bronze Age, while remaining rare in Central Zagros.

However, on the Kouzaran plain north of Mahidasht, and only 25km west of Chogha Zanbil, unauthorized soil removal uncovered 67 sealings dated to around 3200–2800 BC.

"Unfortunately, between 1 and 2 meters of the upper layers of the mound, across an area of approximately 2,000 square meters, have been destroyed by local villagers. Additionally, the annual plowing of the site's surface by farmers has caused significant and detrimental damage to the archaeological remains," explained Dr. Khosravi.