seal

(noun)

An emblem used as a means of authentication. Seal can refer to an impression in paper, wax, clay, or other medium. It can also refer to the device used.

Related Terms

Examples of seal in the following topics:

  • Harappan Culture

    • Harappans were thought to have been proficient in seal carving, the cutting of patterns into the bottom face of a seal, and used distinctive seals for the identification of property and to stamp clay on trade goods.
    • As many as 600 distinct Indus symbols have been found on seals, small tablets, ceramic pots, and more than a dozen other materials.
    • Some Indus Valley seals show a swastika symbol, which was included in later Indian religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
    • One seal from Mohenjo-daro shows a half-human, half-buffalo monster attacking a tiger.
    • This seal was excavated in Mohenjo-daro and depicts a seated and possibly ithyphallic figure, surrounded by animals.

  • The Indus River Valley Civilization

    • They also performed intricate handicraft, especially using products made of the semi-precious gemstone Carnelian, as well as seal carving— the cutting of patterns into the bottom face of a seal used for stamping.
    • In 1912, John Faithfull Fleet, an English civil servant working with the Indian Civil Services, discovered several Harappan seals.

  • The Magna Carta

    • King John met with the leaders of the barons, along with their French and Scot allies, to seal the Great Charter (Magna Carta in Latin), which imposed legal limits on the king's personal powers.
    • It was sealed under oath by King John at Runnymede, on the bank of the River Thames near Windsor, England, on June 15, 1215.
    • One of four known surviving original copies of the Magna Carta of 2015, written in iron gall ink on parchment in medieval Latin, authenticated with the Great Seal of King John.

  • The Mandate of Heaven

    • The Chinese character for "Tian," meaning "heaven," in (from left to right) Bronze script, Seal script, Oracle script, and modern simplified.

  • Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization

    • The extraordinary uniformity of Harappan artifacts is evident in pottery, seals, weights, and bricks with standardized sizes and weights, suggesting some form of authority and governance.

  • The Minoans

    • The best surviving examples of Minoan art are its pottery and palace architecture with frescos that include landscapes, stone carvings, and intricately carved seal stones.

  • Jainism

    • Various seals from Indus Valley Civilizations bear resemblance to Rishabha, the first Jain as the visual representation of Vishnu.

  • Marriage to Marie-Antoinette

    • Their common desire to destroy the ambitions of Prussia and Great Britain and to help secure a definitive peace between them led them to seal their alliance with a marriage: in 1770, Louis XV formally asked the hand of Maria Antonia for his eldest surviving grandson, future Louis XVI.

  • The Mongols in Eastern Europe

    • This final attack sealed the Rus' principalities' fate, forcing princes to flee their regions or capitulate to Mongol taxation and rule.

  • The First French Republic and Regicide

    • His royal seal was to go to the Dauphin and his wedding ring to the Queen.