The use of seals and clay stamps has been known since the first human settlements, thousands of years before the formation of the first cities and kingdoms, and even the invention of writing.

Seals were first used to mark and secure commodities in storage units, especially foodstuffs. A seal, of any period, may belong to any official or private individual, but in a central place such as Jerusalem, most ancient and modern seals can be attributed either to royalty or religious administrators.