Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c14.s4.1

v1.c14.s4.1

Indus seals were in use at Lothal from the earliest phase of occupation to the latest in Period A and to a small extent in Period B also. The earliest seal is made of steatite. It is of light grey colour and has been used in the manufacture of most of the seals at Lothal, because the material is soft and can be easily cut, engraved and polished. Quite often the seatite paste was pressed into a mould, dried and then engraved and heated for making seals. Three categories of steatite seals have been distinguished. Category A consists of seals made of soapstone with a white coating of the same material producing a greasy lustre. These show a considerable proportion of magnesia and silica. Category B consists of seals made of steatite paste with a pearly lustre and they crumble in moisture. Seals of soapstone without any greasy coating are included in Category C. Besides steatite, agate, ivory and copper were also used. Terracotta seals are not infrequent. (Rao, 306)