Introduction
During 2000 BC the Indus Valley was alive with trade. This area flourished economically as it was a hub for many surrounding areas. Throughout history a vast and diverse amount of artwork has been unearthed within the Indus Valley. In particular an art form known as Seals. Seals served many purposes during the Indus Valley Civilization. However, one major purpose of the Seals were their ability to represent local economic and political powers. This research paper serves the purpose to further explore the history behind Seals and how the iconography of the Seals began to represent political and further more economical power within the Indus Valley region.
Before we can uncover the power behind the art of Seals,
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Consequently, these Seals were more commonly found in the largest of excavation sites. A Seal described as so can be classified as a ‘Combination Seals’ and were most commonly used to represent a ritual or a treaty among clans. Combination Seals helped show a political alliance within regions. This alliance may also have benefited economically through trade in the area. A Seal showing, two regions united may have allowed for more profit to move easily throughout the areas aligned.
Animal motifs provided a lot of information to the viewer. Therefore, by encompassing important information into imagery the context behind the Seal was more widely understood. Imagery played an important role during this time as many individuals were illiterate. By allowing the viewer to identify an animal they could make the connection to the clan the Seal may have belonged to. In addition a Seal may have more than one animal depicted. If more than one animal is shown it allows the viewer to understand there are multiple regions connected in a
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This belief suggests the earth sits atop the water buffalos head and fits snugly between the horns. Additionally rhinoceros enjoy being in water and being covered in mud. When found on a Seal, a rhinoceros represented flooding rivers and fertilized farm land. Therefore a Seal with a rhinoceros would be desirably used when trading goods.
Elements of the Indus Valley
Now, with the understanding of Seals the impact they had economically and politically can be further examined. Seals took on many diverse purposes, therefore their importance in ancient Indian culture stretches into many different realms. Seals continued to stretch through trade, as many seals have been found far from home. Seals have been predominantly uncovered in the Indus Valley. Moreover, in the two most popular cities during the Harappan Period, Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro are located in modern day Pakistan.
However, this is not the only place archaeologists have unearthed Seals. Seals have been excavated out of Mesopotamia which we know now as present-day Iraq. The Seals in Iraq have been found in Umma and Ur. In addition, Seals have been found in Central Asia and along the coast of the Arabian Peninsula. A little closer to home, archaeologist have uncovered Seals in the port of Lothal, located in Western
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"The Indus and the swastika." Indus Valley: What They Did For Us. BBC, n.d. Web.
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