The Indus Script: Texts, Concordance and Tables c4.s3.6

c4.s3.6

Some of the seals, such as M-319, are carved hollow and provided with a lid so that something - most probably a magic charm - could be kept inside. This has generally been taken to support the old hypothesis that the seals, besides their primary function as administrative instruments, also served as protective amulets. In addition to the script, the majority of the Indus seals contain iconographic motifs, whose clearly religious nature has suggested an amuletic function. The pictorial motifs not only rank among the very best preserved examples of Harappan artistic expressions but also provide some of the most important clues to the Harappan religion and to the accompanying inscriptions.