The Indus Civilization c6.39

c6.39

From the description of the animals appearing on the seal-amulets it will be seen that several beasts were often merged into one, and, indeed, seals have been found showing three different heads on one body. The heads of a short-horned bull, a urus-bull, and an antelope are all depicted uncomfortably affixed to the body of either the first or second animal, an arrangement which no doubt symbolized three deities in one. A particularly complex example of this fusion is represented by the heads of four animals—a urus-bull, a tiger, and two other kinds of bulls—and the necks of two other beasts, whose heads are missing owing to the breakage of the seal. All these are arranged like rays round a circular centre which may represent the sun. A somewhat similar conception is seen on another seal, where a sixrayed skirl has one ray in the form of a urus-bull’s head.