Bulla (seal)
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Bulla (plural, Bullae), a lump of clay molded around a cord and stamped with a seal. When dry, the container cannot be violated without visible damage to the bulla, thereby ensuring the contents remain tamper-proof until they reach their destination.
Bullae from antiquity appear in two distinct forms:
- A lump surrounding a dangling cord (as with much later wax bullae and Papal bulls made of lead rather than clay)
- A flat, disc-shaped lump pressed against a cord surrounding a folded document (such as papyrus or vellum)
In many cases, fingerprints of the person who made the impression remain visible near the border of the seal in the clay.
