26 March 2014
Sigillography: the study of seals. In past centuries, wax seals were used in the manner of signatures to authenticate documents, as well as to seal (to fasten shut) certain records until such time as the seal could be legally broken. Modern researchers working with aged, original records develop expertise in sigillography as a tool to authenticate the originality of records and the identity of a record's author. The study of ancient seals, as icons, is also a subspecialty of art history.