Which ancient civilization first utilized 'royal endorsements' as a marketing strategy, where items used by rulers were prominently marked to increase their value and desirability?

Before digital marketing and social media, ancient civilizations had their own innovative ways of promoting products and services. From town criers in Ancient Rome to elaborate trade networks in Mesopotamia, marketing has been essential to commerce for thousands of years. This trivia question explores how one of history's most advanced ancient civilizations used an early form of 'influencer marketing' to promote luxury goods across vast distances.

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Ancient Egypt, where products used by pharaohs were marked with royal cartouches to signify their prestige
Ancient Greece, where Olympic victors endorsed products in the agora marketplaces
Mesopotamian Babylon, where King Hammurabi's seal on goods guaranteed their quality
Han Dynasty China, where imperial yellow markings indicated items approved for use by the emperor