2.3 Seals and Pottery

Seals and pottery were crucial to Indus Valley life. These artifacts reveal a complex society with advanced technology and artistic skills. Seals, used for trade and identity, feature animals and symbols. Pottery, both practical and decorative, shows off Indus craftsmen's talents.

The Indus script remains a mystery, with short inscriptions on seals still undeciphered. Pottery production involved wheel-throwing, painting, and glazing. These objects give us a glimpse into the daily life, beliefs, and economic systems of this ancient civilization.

Indus Valley Seals and Pottery

Common Designs and Motifs

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• Indus Valley seals commonly depicted animals such as unicorn bulls, rhinoceroses, elephants, tigers, and crocodiles
• Human and mythological figures were also portrayed on seals
• Geometric designs like interlocking circles, wavy lines, fish-scale patterns, and pipal leaf motifs frequently adorned Indus pottery and seals
• Narrative scenes showing activities like hunting, ritual processions, tree worship, and anthropomorphic deities have been identified on some larger seals

Terracotta Tags and Miniature Tablets

• Terracotta tags with holes and animal motifs served identification or recording purposes
  • Considered precursors to seals
  • Example motifs include zebu bulls, elephants, and crocodiles
• Miniature tablets made of steatite or faience replicated seal designs
  • May have functioned as amulets or tokens
  • Often featured single animal motifs or geometric patterns
  • Recovered from domestic and burial contexts, suggesting personal use

Deciphering the Indus Script

Characteristics of the Script

• The Indus script is a logo-syllabic writing system with approximately 400-600 distinct signs
  • Remains undeciphered despite numerous attempts
• Seals typically contain short inscriptions averaging 5 signs, with the longest around 26 characters
  • Brevity suggests the script conveyed names, titles, or auspicious symbols rather than long texts
• Some signs resemble natural objects like fish, birds, pots, or tools, while others are more abstract geometric shapes
• Certain signs appear with high frequency and in recurring patterns (jar sign, double-wick sign)

Theories on Language and Meaning

• Scholars have proposed the script encodes an early Dravidian language, proto-Munda, Indo-Aryan, or a now extinct language isolate
  • Based on statistical and comparative linguistic analysis
  • No consensus has been reached
• Challenges in decipherment include the lack of bilingual inscriptions, no known descendants of the Indus language, and an incomplete understanding of the civilization's cultural context
• Some believe the script represents a proto-writing system conveying ideas rather than spoken language
  • Comparison to Mesopotamian proto-cuneiform and Mesoamerican glyphs
  • Focus on the symbolic and ritual significance of the signs

Production of Indus Seals and Pottery

Seal Crafting Techniques

• Indus seals were skillfully crafted from steatite, a soft stone that hardens when fired
  • Seals were carved in intaglio, with designs cut into the surface
  • Drilled with a hole near the top for suspension or attachment
• The standardized shape and size of seals suggest mass production using molds
  • Unfinished seals at different stages of manufacture have been excavated at workshops (Mohenjo-daro, Harappa)
  • Reveals a multi-step process of shaping, carving, firing, and polishing

Pottery Production Methods

• Pottery was made from alluvial or terracotta clay, shaped on a wheel, and fired in kilns to high temperatures
  • Potters used paddles and anvils to thin walls and create a smooth surface
• Black-on-red ware was decorated with geometric and floral designs painted in black pigment on a red surface
  • Achieved through careful control of firing conditions
• Polychrome pottery featured red, black, and white pigments in intricate patterns
• Perforated pottery, possibly used for straining or steaming, was made by piercing holes before firing
• Some pots were glazed with a vitreous alkaline coating for a shiny, impermeable surface
  • Glaze was a technological innovation for waterproofing and decoration

Seals and Pottery in Indus Life

Administrative and Economic Functions

• Seals served as markers of authority, ownership, and identity
  • Used to stamp clay tags affixed to bundles of goods, securing and identifying commodities in transport
  • Ensured integrity of sealed containers and documented transactions
• The widespread use of inscribed seals and sealings across Indus cities and peripheral sites suggests a centralized administrative system regulating the movement of goods
  • Implies a well-organized bureaucracy and standardized procedures
  • Seals facilitated long-distance trade within the Indus Valley and with Mesopotamia and Central Asia

Social and Ritual Significance

• Seals may have functioned as amulets or badges of office for elites and merchants
  • The repeated imagery implies shared cultural values and religious beliefs
  • Animal and deity motifs suggest a symbolic role in identity and ideology
• Pottery fulfilled utilitarian roles in food preparation, storage, and serving
  • Distinctive pottery types are associated with cooking, holding liquids, and ritual feasting
  • Certain vessel forms and designs may have conveyed social status or ritual meaning
• Finely painted and glazed ceramics were likely luxury wares for elite consumption and trade
  • Demonstrate the refined aesthetics and technical mastery of Indus artisans
  • Similarities in vessel forms and designs across Indus sites indicate specialization and exchange
• The diversity and sophistication of Indus pottery attests to the technological advancement and artistic creativity of the civilization's craftsmen
  • Reflects a complex society with a highly developed material culture
  • Pottery styles evolved over time, providing a chronological framework for the Indus Valley Civilization