The Indus Civilization (Cambridge History of India, Supplementary Volume) c17.109

c17.109

Bracelets, rings, gamesmen, and a multitude of other objects come properly within the compass of this section, but, reserving certain types of pin for a later section, we may conclude with some account of the seals which are the outstanding contribution of the Indus civilization to ancient craftsmanship. The fact that over 1200 of them have been found at Mohenjo-daro alone indicates their ancient popularity and, although there is considerable variation in the quality of their cutting, their average attainment is exceedingly high for what must have been an almost mass-produced commodity. At their best, it would be no exaggeration to describe them as little masterpieces of controlled realism, with a monumental strength in one sense out of all proportion to their size and in another entirely related to it. The normal seal was of steatite and square in shape with sides from ¾ in. to 1¼ ins. in length, and with a perforated boss at the back for handling and suspension. Occasionally the boss is absent; sometimes the seal is round, with or without a boss; and there are a few cylinder seals. But these variants are very exceptional and may in most instances be ascribed to external influences. In manufacture, the stone was cut with a saw and finished with a knife and an abrasive, the carving being done with a small chisel and a drill. Finally, the whole stone was coated with an alkali and heated, so as to produce a white lustrous surface which has sometimes been mistaken for a steatite slip, a process reminiscent of, but perhaps not identical technically with, the “glazing” of steatite in the West as early as the Jamdat Nasr period (about 3000 B.C.), for example at Tell Brak in northern Syria.²