gatumarks

Gatumarks are a system of symbolic marks used in the fictional Gatu culture to encode information about ownership, lineage, and status on durable media such as pottery, textiles, and stone.

The name combines Gatu with mark, and the motifs range from geometric shapes to abstract glyphs; colors and line quality signal rank and function.

Origins appear in early temple-centered societies of the region, with standardized motifs evolving into regional dialects by the late first millennium BCE.

Key types include boundary marks (property lines), ownership marks (individual or household), and lineage marks (kinship or clan).

Carvers, stampers, and loom workers apply gatumarks to surfaces; marks are designed to endure and be legible across media; ritual contexts may involve temporary alterations.

In the fictional world, gatumarks remain important in ritual art and museum study; authentication challenges arise from forgeries, prompting catalogs and non-destructive analysis.

See also: heraldry, seal, iconography.