The Bronze Stamp Seals of Marlik in the National Museum of Iran: Evidence of a Connection with the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex in the Bronze Age

Among the objects in the Marlik Cemetery are five bronze stamp seals from three tombs that appear to have been made before the Iron Age and are classified as one of the oldest objects in the cemetery. These stamp seals bear no resemblance to the seals of the Iron Age of Iran, including the seals of the Iron Age of Marlik, and they are similar to the seals of the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC) of the Bronze Age. Other objects obtained from the graves containing these seals are chronologically among the oldest objects in this cemetery. Other objects obtained from the tombs containing these five seals are chronologically among the oldest objects in this cemetery. The existence of the BMAC style objects in the Greater Khorasan and the Central Asia region in the Marlik Cemetery can draw our attention to this region as the intellectual and physical origin of some objects of the Iron Age and periods prior to that. In this regard, the northeastern region of Iran could play a role in the connection between Central Asia and the central and western regions of Iran. The bronze seals of the Marlik Cemetery can demonstrate the significance of the seals in the community as well as the chronology re-evaluation of a number of Marlik tombs. In this paper, in addition to these seals, the existence of etched carnelian beads in the texture of Marlik tombs has been employed to reconsider the dating and attribution of bronze seals to the Bronze Age. These beads, like bronze stamp seals, can be classified as objects of the Bronze Age in the Marlik Cemetery and can strengthen the association of the Marlik Cemetery with the eastern region of Iran.