randing and labelling have an ancient history.

Branding probably began with the practice of branding

livestock in order to deter theft. Images of the branding of cattle occur in ancient Egyptian tombs
dating to around 2,700 BCE.[12] Over time, purchasers realised that the brand provided information
about origin as well as about ownership, and could serve as a guide to quality. Branding was
adapted by farmers, potters and traders for use on other types of goods such as pottery and
ceramics. Forms of branding or proto-branding emerged spontaneously and independently
throughout Africa, Asia and Europe at different times, depending on local conditions. [13] Seals, which
acted as quasi-brands, have been found on early Chinese products of the Qin Dynasty (221-206
BCE); large numbers of seals survive from the Harappan civilization of the Indus Valley (3,300–1,300
BCE) where the local community depended heavily on trade; cylinder seals came into use in Ur in
Mesopotamia in around 3,000 BCE and facilitated the labelling of goods and property; and the use of
maker's marks on pottery was commonplace in both ancient Greece and Rome. [13] Identity marks,
such as stamps on ceramics, were also used in ancient Egypt. [14]
Diana Twede has argued that the "consumer packaging functions of protection, utility and
communication have been necessary whenever packages were the object of transactions". [15] She
has shown that amphorae used in Mediterranean trade between 1,500 and 500 BCE exhibited a
wide variety of shapes and markings, which consumers used to glean information about the type of
goods and the quality. Systematic use of stamped labels dates from around the fourth century BCE.
In a largely pre-literate society, the shape of the amphora and its pictorial markings conveyed
information about the contents, region of origin and even the identity of the producer, which were
understood to convey information about product quality. [16] David Wengrow has argued that branding
became necessary following the urban revolution in ancient Mesopotamia in the 4th century BCE,
when large-scale economies started mass-producing commodities such as alcoholic drinks,
cosmetics and textiles. These ancient societies imposed strict forms of quality-control over
commodities, and also needed to convey value to the consumer through branding. Producers began
by attaching simple stone seals to products which, over time, gave way to clay seals bearing
impressed images, often associated with the producer's personal identity thus giving the product a
personality.[17] Not all historians agree that these markings are comparable with modern brands or
labels, with some suggesting that the early pictorial brands or simple thumbprints used in pottery
should be termed proto-brands