If this hypothesis is correct, it suggests in turn that Polish heraldry, also unlike western European heraldry, may be at least partly derived from the Tamgas, marks used by Eurasian nomads such as the Sarmatians, Avars and Mongols, to mark property.

In most countries, marking or painting property without the property owner's consent is considered defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime.

To a slave owner it would be logical to mark such property just like cattle, more so since humans are more able to escape.

Dating from around 3200 to 320 B.C., the seals were used to mark documents or property, and worn on necklaces or wristbands.

Cedar fences took over suburban backyards in the 1960's, he notes, marking property rather than providing privacy.

Instead the exhibition focuses on a local 15th-century trend: the demand for tiles with heraldic crests, used to mark property.

Also, the similarity with the Scandinavian tradition of using specific bomärken ("homestead marks") for signatures and for marking property has also been noted.

He wondered what on earth a drystone wall was doing up here anyway, then realized it had probably marked the end of someone's property long ago, property that had now gone to moorland, overgrown with heather and gorse.

Wild four-o'clocks and blue plumbago obscure the fences that mark property; the limbs of the oak bend so low they force the passerby to bow his head.

According to the accounts of Jan Długosz, it was derived from a symbol or brand used to mark horses and other property.