Gesiegelt - Versiegelt - Entsiegelt. Siegel(n) und Kulturtechnik

Auenmüller, Johannes; Moustakis, Nikola

Abstract

In this article, the scene is set for understanding seals and sealings in the framework of ‘cultural techniques.’ After an initial discussion of the agency and hybridity of seals and of the practices and cultural concepts involved in the acts of sealing, the focus is shifted to the conceptual basis for the term ‘cultural technique’, which implies the mutual interaction of artefacts and signs in human practices. The topic ‘seals and sealings’ is then discussed against this conceptual backdrop: seals and sealings represent a ‘cultural technique’ throughout the ages and across regions. The chapter is concluded by short overviews of the papers published in the present volume.