Ancient rubber stamp — The Signet RingIt is incredible to imagine being an all powerful Roman

Ancient rubber stamp — The Signet RingIt is incredible to imagine being an all powerful Roman Emperor or Egyptian Pharaoh, but do you know how much paper work they had to do?  Managing a vast empire requires a well organized bureaucracy, well maintained record keeping, and a well organized clerical service.  Kingdoms and empires are built on paperwork as much as blood, sweat, and treasure. Before the invention of rubber stamps or lick seal envelopes there was the signet rings.Used by kings, queens, emperors, popes, bishops, legates, governors, and a whole host of political leaders or rulers, the signet ring served as the official stamp of those in power.  They were usually only made in certain amounts, by craftsmen working in secret, and only issued to rulers, government officials, and their trusted bureaucrats.  Since a king or governor was always needed to give orders in an emergency, the official seal of the kingdom or empire was made into a fancy and fashionable ring.  Easy to wear, the ruler or governor always had it on hand in the case that his signature or official “seal of approval” was needed in an emergency.  Also, before the invention of envelopes with lick shut seals, a letter was sealed with wax and stamped in order to show the receiver it had not been tampered with.  This wax seal was often a sign of confidentiality showing it contents have not been read, but also done on regular public documents as a symbol of legitimacy and legality.  Thus the signet ring was an important tool for rulers, bureaucrats, clerics, and public notary’s. However, more than just being a tool, a signet ring was a symbol of authority, power, and status.The earliest known signet rings were made by the Egyptians, one of the first well organized empires in the world which had a large bureaucracy dedicated to law making, record keeping, and raising taxes. Usually they were made of stone with simple symbols or hieroglyphs.  However, it was the Greeks and Romans who put the signet ring to full use, as their large empires required a massive bureaucratic system to manage their wealth and resources.  Greek and Roman rings tended to be much more ornate, using gold, silver, and precious stones to create their seals. By the Middle Ages, the ring was still very popular, especially among kings and nobles who loved to imitate the “Roman way”.  Today, after the invention of the modern postal service, the rubber stamp, printing, and other technologies the signet ring is now relegated to a symbolic or ceremonial function rather than a practical object. -- source link
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