Seals have been used for millennia as devices for making an impression in wax, clay, paper, or some other medium. The original purpose was to authenticate a document, and wax was very often the preferred compound used to make an impression or create an embossment. All sorts of instruments and materials have been employed to make seals, including carved stone, rings, and bespoke stamp seals. And with these, members of royalty, wealthy individuals, and powerful rulers could, quite literally, stamp their approval on anything they wished.
Click through and take a look at the impression seals have made over the centuries.