Overview
A tamga, or tamgha is an abstract seal or brand that was used by Eurasian nomads and cultures influenced by them, initially as a livestock branding. The tamga was used as a livestock branding for a particular tribe, clan or family. They were common among the Eurasian nomads throughout Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Beyond livestock branding, tamgas served as dynastic and state symbols on coinage, architectural inscriptions, and official seals. The Khazar Khagan adopted a bident tamga as a dynastic emblem, which was later appropriated by the Rurikid dynasty of Kievan Rus, appearing on coins minted by Vladimir the Great and Yaroslav the Wise. Among the Mongols, tamgas were used as administrative stamps on official documents, giving rise to the Persian and Turkish word "damgha" meaning customs duty or tax seal, from which the English word "tammage" derives. In the Caucasus, the term was borrowed into Adyghe and Kabardian languages where it still denotes clan identity markers. As clan and family identifiers, the collection and systematic comparison of tamgas is regarded to provide insights into relations between families, individuals and ethnic groups in the steppe territory.