Sigilografía: Etymology and What Study

The sigillography is the auxiliary science that studies the dating, reading and interpretation of the stamps of the Byzantine era. However, by extension it can be applied to the study of stamps used or attached to historical documents, such as letters and royal decrees.

The study of seals was also called esfragística; it was a branch of diplomacy used to determine the authenticity of a document. The sigillography has a technical and archaeological focus, and has been used since the Middle Ages to study the stamps or stamps of people and institutions, as well as the signs of the scribes.

This auxiliary discipline served to prevent falsifications of documents, which were already practiced in the twelfth century. Through the secrecy of forensic studies of historical documents can determine tastes, customs, political aspects and other elements of their owners and society.

The secrecy was developed in the nineteenth century as a discipline that served as a source of information and scientific support for historical studies. The aim is to carry out an in-depth analysis of both the physical element of the seal and the meaning it has, considering the symbolism that houses its structure.

Etymology

The word steganography comes from a Greco-Latin word that is composed of two terms: sigillum , Latin word meaning"seal"; Y graphia , a Greek word that means"description","representation","science".

That is to say, sigilography is the study or treatise of the seal with regard to its physical-material aspect and its symbolic and representative formal expression.

What study?

The sigilography is dedicated to analyzing stamps from the physical point of view and in its symbolic-representative aspect. However, it does not study any stamp, but those that were applied in historical documents such as letters, decrees, treaties, papal bulls, administrative orders, etc.

Originally it was considered a branch of diplomacy because it was used only by it, but later other sciences or areas of scientific knowledge incorporated it into their studies. Among these sciences, archeology, history, heraldry, law and genealogy stand out.

The purpose of the sigillography is to study critically the different types of stamps that have historically been used. The stamps were used to validate or authorize state or private documents; these instruments served to authenticate the validity of the documents.

For example, at the beginning of the Middle Ages in southern Europe the documents were drafted and signed by notaries, but in northern Europe the use of the stamp was never dispensed with in order to authenticate the documents.

Counterfeit

The use of the stamp became very important due to the falsifications that began to circulate in the 12th century. Since then, stamps were a commonly used resource to close folded documents and safeguard their secrecy. They were also used to affirm the assent (for example, of a jury).

Thus, the object or field of study of sigilography is the stamp as object and the impressions that are obtained by pressing it on a surface. Seals can be made of wax, wax, lead, paper, metal, cloth and any other material that allows the stamping of a sign.

Importance of sigilography

Through the sigilográfico study of stamps used in historical documents, it is possible to determine various social and individual aspects of their owners, such as customs, art, tastes, politics, clothing and other aspects.

The stamps provide evidence about the changes in the fashion of each era, both in the ecclesiastical and the monarchical costumes. In the seals are heraldic symbols and are a very important source to determine the type of armors. Likewise, it allows the genealogy to trace links or distinctions between families.

Historical and cultural value

In addition to the legal value, stamps have historical and cultural value; These are the elements studied by sigilography. Likewise, the stamps show other elements of great importance for historiographical studies.

For example, the seals of the artisans show tools used by the trade of the time. In others, towns, castles or churches are described, which can help the historian to discover architectural elements, as well as details of boats or weapons of war.

Many times, the main difficulty in studying the different designs of existing stamps is their conservative nature. The stamps were often replaced leaving the design similar to the previous one, even if they were from different eras.

The sigilografía, as it is understood at the moment, was developed in century XIX from the study of the historians and anthropologists. It was born as a necessary method to know about the past and be used as a source of historical information.

Origin of the seal

Authentication of documents written through sealing has been practiced since Antiquity. The most important period of the stamp in Western Europe was between the 12th and 15th centuries, before it began to be validated by the signature.

During this period the owners of stamps were distributed in all the high levels of the society, but the decisions of the monarchs or the most important commercial transactions, although they always carried a stamp, could require of signatures and other elements to give authentication to the documents .

The stamp matrix was usually made of metal and was made of latten, a brass alloy. The richest people ordered their stamps with precious metals and engraved gems; others were made of ivory, bone or wood.

The medieval seal

This is one of the types of stamps most studied by experts in sigilography. In the Middle Ages it was when the monarchs, the secular curia and the wealthy merchants turned to its use. In this way they certified the authenticity of the document and its authorship, given the importance of the content.

Monarchs and popes used to make wax seals using seal rings, made of metal or hard stone. Conical seals made with similar materials were also used.

The popes and the Mediterranean chancelleries used stamps or ball-shaped impressions. From there comes the name of the famous papal bulls ( noise In latin). This type of document had lead seals, which took the form of a crushed ball.

In contrast, most medieval seals were generally composed of two thirds of beeswax and one of resin. To this compound was added chalk or ash to harden it and avoid heat.

Otto Posse, Douet d'Arcq, Germain Demay and Hermann Grotefend, among others, stand out among the most important sigilographers throughout history.

References

1. Sigillography. Retrieved on March 28, 2018 from britannica.com
2. Sigillography. Retrieved from oxfordhandbooks.com
3. Sigillography. Consulted by encyclopedia.com
4. Sigillography. Consulted by oxfordreference.com
5. Sigillography. Viewed from oeaw.ac.at
6. Sigillography. Consulted dictionary.com