Faience Tablet and Button Seals SP 494

"In order to trace some more walls of the two blocks of the Great Granary Mr. Sahni made a few stray extensions about the centre of Trench A both towards the east and west. In the former direction, that part which lies to the north of corridor e was termed Ab, and the one to the south as Aa, while the two small westward extensions were termed Ac and Ad. ln the area Ab...in association with Stratum II..half of a square faience sealing (No. Ab44, Pl. XCV, 394) inscribed with a double square...In the IVth stratum was recovered a square, bossed faience sealing (Ab43) with double triangles in fields on either aide of the diagonal line (Pl. XCV, 400).

In order to trace some more walls of the two blocks of the Great Granary Mr. Sahni made a few stray extensions about the centre of Trench A both towards the east and west. In the former direction, that part which lies to the north of corridor e was termed Ab, and the one to the south as Aa, while the two small westward extensions were termed Ac and Ad. ln the area Ab, close to the statuette of the dancer and in the same stratum, he found a plano-convex, rectangular steatite seal (No. Ab922. Pl. XCII, 275), and an excellent representation of a terracotta ant-eater (No, Ab923, Pl. LXXVIII, 26). Scattered over the remaining part of this extension he found from Stratum I an inscribed pointed ivory rod (Ab62, Pl. XCIX, 643), and in association with Stratum II a cuboid chert weight 2 (A616), a rectangular cake of red ochre (No, Abl04), a planoconvex rectangular steatite seal (No. Abl30, Pl. XCII, 269), half of a square faience sealing (No. Ab44, Pl. XCV, 394) inscribed with a double square, a tiny rectangular faience sealing (No. Ab473) inscribed on both sides (Pl. C, 672), a pierced vase-shaped pottery cage (No. Ab554) showing one bird coming out from an aperture and another perched on the side (Pl. CXX, 22), a pear-shaped, flat-bottomed pottery vase with horizontal flutes (No. Ab268, ht. 4 1/2 in., Pl. LXXl 17, and Pl. LXX, 42), and a painted potsherd (No. Ab207), which shows a peacock and a hen facing each other, part of another quadruped, etc. (Pl. LXVIII, 54)' From the lllrd stratum were recovered a rectangular, plano-convex steatite seal (No. Ab553, Pl. XCII, 274), two faience sealings of which No. Ab707 ia lentoid and inscribed on both sides (Pl. XCV, 3S0), and No. Ab269 rectangular but semi-round in section, having pictograms on one side and an acacia tree enclosed in a platform on the other (similar to No. 328 in Pl. XCIII), a faience chessman-shaped object holed on the underside (Ab867), and a red stone cylinder (ht, 1 5/16 in.) with a deep hole at the top and shallow socket at bottom (Ab349). In the IVth stratum was recovered a square, bossed faience sealing (Ab43) with double triangles in fields on either aide of the diagonal line (Pl. XCV, 400)."

2. Size 1.63 x 1.63 x 1.13in.

- Madho Sarup Vats, Excavations at Harappa: Being an account of archaeological excavations at Harappa carried out between the years 1920-21 and 1933-34. In two volumes with plans and plates., Vol I, pg 23-24


The broken faience tablet on the left was made with a mold, resulting in a raised script and a surface that would have originally been glazed, possibly with blue green glaze. The central button seal of faience has opposing triangles and the broken one on the right would have had four square sections. Both of these button seals would have been glazed but the colors are not known, possibly blue green or yellowish brown.

- Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, 2023.

ASI Description: 

[Original caption] seals Middle seal (Ab43); Broken seal on right (Ab44)

ASI Number: 
491/86
Silver Plate: 
494
(Item) Serial Number: 
Ab43
Trench: 
Ab
Find spot: 
Mound F
Depth (ft.): 
11
Depth (in.): 
0