| SPECIFICATIONS | ||
| Material | Clay | |
| Type | Sealing | |
| Diameter | 25.4 mm | |
| Thickness | 11.0 mm | |
| Weight | 5.19 gms | |
| Shape | Concave | |
| Edge | rough | |
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To secure a parcel the crossing cords are covered in clay and the sender puts a seal to guarantee the contents from tampering. An ancient version of the modern Red-Tape and Wax seals.
The seal impression on clay shown above in excellent state of preservation with a deep impression of the cord on reverse. The humped bull seems to be more popular on seals than any other animal and the style and pose similar to the ones depicted on early Sangam period coins. Although more fragile they are found relatively more abundantly than the seals used to make the impression.
In the 1999 catalog by Osmund Bopearachchi and Rajah Wickramasinhe titled Ruhuna. An Ancient Civilization Re-visited , they are listed under Sealings. Of the 34 sealings listed with human and animal symbols 16 are listed under Bulls and 12 of them of this type with a standing bull right with various symbol in front (K.15-K.26). It was obtained from the same collector who provided most of the items for that book.
If anyone has information on the age of items like it please let me know details about it.
The sealing was scanned at 300 dpi and displayed at 250 dpi. It was obtained in 2001 December from Mr A. Ratnayaka a collector in Katharagama, Lanka from the small collection he sent for display at the Sri Lanka Numismatic Society 25th Anniversary exhibition.