The Indus Script: Texts, Concordance and Tables c4.s7.t1.1

c4.s7.t1.1

Because the texts carved in mirror image on the seals are to be read as they appear in the impression, the reports of the excavations at Mohenjo-daro and Harappa published just the impressions. However, the impression may not faithfully reproduce all the features of the original, and the original always remains the ultimate authority. On the other hand, the impression is needed not only because it shows the inscription in its proper form but also because it sometimes reveals details not immediately visible by the inspection of the original. For example, it is harder to see an inscription on a rough or transparent or multicoloured surface than in an impression taken on a neutral and unweathered material (cf. M-221 and L-36). Thus the original and its impression complement each other and furthermore make a double checking possible.