This is likely to be half of a lead bale seal. It has a round face and no visible markings; the square extension at the top is broken, but would have connected to another similar-sized face if the object was whole. Bale seals were used by European merchants to mark parcels of fabric and other similar materials. Its presence at White Springs may mean that whole bales of cloth were imported to the site. Dusti Bridges, Archaeologist
Notes:
Images in this digital collection were released earlier than planned to facilitate access during the 2020 period of social distancing. For a full discussion, see https://digital.library.cornell.edu/collections/seneca
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Rights:
The images in the “Onöndowa'ga:' (Seneca) Haudenosaunee Archaeological Materials circa 1688-1754” Collection are protected by copyright, and the copyright holder of this image is The Seneca-Iroquois National Museum. The images were created in 2018 by Cornell University Library from a variety of physical artifacts held by the Seneca- Iroquois National Museum with their permission. Cornell is providing access to the materials for research and personal use. The written permission of The Seneca-Iroquois National Museum is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use that extends beyond what is authorized by fair use and other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item. Please contact Kurt Jordan in the Cornell Institute of Archaeology and Material Studies with any questions or information about these materials.
