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Clay sealings and cylinder seals constitute one of the most important sources for reconstructing the administration and institutional organization of the early Egyptian state. The impressions preserved on the sealings represent the most comprehensive corpus of early Egyptian inscriptions. The analysis of the archaeological evidence clarifies context and placement of the sealings in terms of time and space. The reconstruction of the sealed container gives insight into the organization of production, distribution and storage of products whereas the reconstruction of the seal impressions may identify administrative actors and organizations.
The nine contributions in this volume present results of recent archaeological research and unpublished material from several find spots of Upper and Lower Egypt (i.e. Abydos, Balat, Buto, Elephantine, and Saqqara) dating from the Early Dynastic Period to the Old Kingdom. However, the articles are dealing not only with the archaeological context of sealings in tombs and settlements, but also with methodological, typological, and technical questions including a study about the interpretation of early inscriptions in general.