The Indus Civilization c6.44

c6.44

An unusual amulet of shell has a knot carved upon it; knots have always had a magical significance in the East as well as in the West. Two holes in this specimen show that it could be sewn to the clothing, and it may have served as a button as well. Intertwining linear patterns also appear on some of the amulets, and these are of much the same type as certain designs on various Sumerian seals; without beginning or end, they may have typified longevity, as such designs still do in China. Ordinary beads seem to have been valued as amulets in the Indus valley, just as they are in other countries, and certain steatite beads carved with trefoils are especially interesting, both for the careful workmanship and for the choice of the motif, which we have seen occurs on the robe of the deity already described.