Sunday, February 27, 2011

Clay Elder Sign

Artist Alessandro Farioli brings us this clay Elder Sign token.

6 comments:

CoastConFan said...

That’s a great prop idea.

Seals have been used since before writing. They were used on containers to show ownership have been dated to 6,500 B.C.E. in the Middle East. Seals could be used to secure doors, boxes, jars, amphora, and used as a signature on clay tablets.

Sealed items showed property and formed a bar to entrance and they suggest that infringement is a major concern in that culture. They also had religious and ceremonial uses as well as showing authority, both religious and secular.

Seals were made from different materials, such as fired clay, soft and hard stones, even carved jewels. They could be worn as jewelry or as a badge of office or authority. Seals could confer ownership and even identity. Some were abstract marks others were fully representational, others told stories.

One of my favorite seals are the cylinder seal types, the earliest date to 3,500 B.C.E. You can roll them out on clay to form a kind of comic strip and cylinder seals were often worn as adornment.

Anonymous said...

My first thought wasn't that was clay, but that it was a cookie.

I need an elder sign cookie cutter!!!

Brandon said...

I, like sqlrob thought that it was some horrible cult-related girl scout cookie. I was a little disappointed when I found out that I was wrong.

CoastConFan said...

Cookies are good too....

Phil said...

Oh dear. I look at that and all I can think is 'communion wafer'.

CoastConFan said...

Shoggoth Scouts? Elder Scouts? Why am I put in mind of a line from the 1991 Adams Family movie, “Are they made from real Girl Scouts”?