The seals are numbered 1-7 from top left to bottom right.
Seal 1: Mound A-B
Sahni writes:
"The seventh stratum will probably be found to be occupied by a building of considerable magnitude though so far only a portion of its floor has been exposed. This floor consists of two courses of brick laid as stretchers and headers on a strong substratum of pounded brick. As it was considered inadvisable to dismantle this structure, the examination of the earlier strata was postponed to the next season when it is proposed to extend the operations to a wider area. Several small objects were found on the floor mentioned above, the most interesting of which is a seal in fine-grained yellow steatite with a deep cut inscription, but no device (Plate XIX, fig. 15)."
Seal 2: Ab43, Mound F, Trench Ab
With reference to finds from trench Ab in Mound (confirm this) Sahni noted:
"Other portable objects found here included three seals (Plate XIX, figs 16, 17, and 19) two of which are composed of faience and contain only geometric patterns."
- Daya Ram Sahni, 1926. Annual Report Of The Archaeological Survey Of India 1923-24., pg 53. Pl. XIX, 16.
"In the IVth stratum was recovered a square, bossed faience sealing (Ab43) with double triangles in fields on either side of the diagonal line (PI. XCV. 400)."
Size: 0.75 x 0.75 inches;
Level below surface: 11' 0"
Type: a (square seal with perforated boss on reverse)
Materials and colour: Faience, green
Mound: F (Trench Ab)
- Madho Sarup Vats, Excavations at Harappa: Being an account of archaeological excavations at Harappa carried out between the years 1920-21 and 1933-34. Volume I - Text; Volume II - 139 Plates., pgs 24, 347. Image Pl. XCV, 400.
Seal 3: Ab553, Mound F, trench Ab
With reference to finds from trench Ab in Mound Sahni noted:
"Other portable objects found here included three seals (Plate XIX, figs 16, 17, and 19) two of which are composed of faience and contain only geometric patterns."
- Daya Ram Sahni, 1926. Annual Report Of The Archaeological Survey Of India 1923-24., pg 53. Pl. XIX, 17.
"From the lllrd stratum were recovered a rectangular, plano-convex steatite seal (No. Ab553, PI. XCII, 274)...."
Size: 1.05 x 0.55 inches;
Level below surface: 7' 0"
Type: c (rectangular seal with plane face and with convex back perforated with one or two holes, or with plane back with or without a boss)
Materials and colour: Steatite, black
Mound: F (Trench Ab)
- Madho Sarup Vats, Excavations at Harappa: Being an account of archaeological excavations at Harappa carried out between the years 1920-21 and 1933-34. Volume I - Text; Volume II - 139 Plates., pgs 23, 343. Image Pl. XCII, 274.
Seal 4: A336, mound F
The following is from Sahni's report for 1923-24:
"The first task during the past season was the expansion of a part of the long trench drawn across site F in 1920-21, where certain well-preserved walls pointed to the possible survival of a large dwelling. On the resumption of work at this point one of the walls referred to was followed up for a length of about 80 feet. There were also two other walls in a fairly good condition running parallel to it on either side. These, however, turned out to be all that had survived of the buildings. That the structure was an important one is evidenced by several interesting objects which came to light in it. In 1920-21 it had yielded a well-preserved seal and a pair of faience bangles of excellent workmanship; and it has now given us three more seals (Plate XIX) and the painted neck of a large earthen jar (Plate XXI, a)...Of the seals found in this area the best preserved is No. A336. It bears the figure of a unicorn standing to left and an inscription in the same “Indo-Sumerian characters as are found on other seals from Harappa and Mohenjo-daro."
- Daya Ram Sahni, 1926. Annual Report Of The Archaeological Survey Of India 1923-24., pg 53. Pl. XIX, 18.
Find No.: A336
Plate No.: 102
Size (in inches): 0.9 x0.9
Level below surface: 3' 0"
Type: a (square seal with perforated boss on reverse)
Material and colour: Steatite, white
Mound: F
Seal 5: Ab44, Mound F, Trench Ab
With reference to finds from trench Ab in Mound Sahni noted:
"Other portable objects found here included three seals (Plate XIX, figs 16, 17, and 19) two of which are composed of faience and contain only geometric patterns."
- Daya Ram Sahni, 1926. Annual Report Of The Archaeological Survey Of India 1923-24., pg 53. Pl. XIX, 19.
"Half of a square faience sealing (No. Ab44, PI. XCV, 394) inscribed with a double square..."
Size: 0.65 x 0.65 inches;
Level below surface: ...
Type: a (square seal with perforated boss on reverse)
Materials and colour: Faience, green
Mound: F (Trench Ab)
- Madho Sarup Vats, Excavations at Harappa: Being an account of archaeological excavations at Harappa carried out between the years 1920-21 and 1933-34. Volume I - Text; Volume II - 139 Plates., pgs 23, 347. Image Pl. XCV, 394.
Several of the objects in this photo are already described on Slides 22 and 23. The top left rectangular seal is an unfired steatite seal and the top right long rectangular seal is an example of a fired and glazed steatite seal. Both date to the later part of the Harappa Phase, Period 3C. The unicorn seal with script on the bottom right is also fired and glazed. The inscription style can be associated with the middle phase, Harappa Period 3B.
- Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, 2023.