The Indus Civilization c11.3

c11.3

Since the present excavations in Mesopotamia were commenced, a number of seal-amulets of undoubted Indian workmanship have been found at various sites, but the loci of these, unfortunately, could not be accurately dated until Dr. Frankfort, in his excavations at Tell Asmar, discovered a seal in a stratum to which it was possible to give the date *c.* 2500 B.C. Shortly before this discovery, the writer compared a decorated carnelian bead unearthed at Mohenjo-daro with some of identical material, shape, and mode of decoration tion taken by Dr. Woolley from the Royal Tombs at Ur whose date was considered by their finder to be prior to 3000 B.C. (Pl. K, 5). It is usually somewhat difficult to give a definite date to beads, for they can be passed from one generation to another, or even washed out of graves and used again at a much later date, but in the case of the beads from Ur, the very important graves in which they were found would seem to make such a history extremely unlikely. It is now, however, quite certain that the carnelian bead from Mohenjo-daro, together with a second one lately discovered, comes from a level dating from 2750 B.C., or perhaps slightly later. But the most reliable evidence of the date of the upper levels of Mohenjo-daro still continues to be Dr. Frankfort’s seal.