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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY,
A JOURNAL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH.
VOLUME XV.-1886.
OLD SEALS FOUND AT HARAPPA.
BY M. LONGWORTH DAMES, B.C.S., &c. TN Vol. V. page 108, of the Archeological Multan. This seal is of a drab-coloured 1 Survey of India, General Cunningham de- smooth stone, perfectly flat on the engraved scribes a seal found at Harappå, in the Mont- side and rounded at the back. The inscription gomery District, one of the enormous mounds is composed of five characters. It is here given which mark the sites of deserted towns in side by side with Major Clark's seal as drawn the plains of the Pañjab.
by General Cunningham (Fig. 1, attached The seal is described by General Cunning- hereto). Mr. Harvey's seal (Fig. 2) is a full-size ham as follows:-"The seal belonging to reproduction of the original in the possession Major Clark is a smooth black stone without of that gentleman. polish. On it is engraved very deeply a bull
Fig. 1
Fig. 2 without hump, looking to the right, with two stars under the neck. Above the ball is an inscription in six characters which are un. known to me. They are certainly not Indian letters, and as the bull, which accompanies them, is without a hump, I conclude that the seal is foreign to India."
In the Academy for May 2nd, 1885, M. Terrien de la Couperie, in an article on the meaning of the word Tin-Yút, refers to "the M. Terrien de la Couperie is of opinion that stone seal of Setchuen or Shuh writing which these seals were brought to India in the course was found a few years ago in the ruins of of trade through Baktria. Possibly they may Harappa, near Lahor." "This," he adds, “is have belonged to Buddhist pilgrims, who attributed by General Cunningham on archwo- certainly must have visited Harappa. Seals in logical evidence to the fourth century B.C., an unknown language are scarcely likely to and is the oldest fragment of writing found in have been articles of trade. It would be inIndia."
teresting to know the meaning of the inscripAnother seal, apparently in the same writing, tions; and perhaps M. Terrien de la Couperie was obtained at Harappa on November 21st, or some other scholar will publish a translation 1884, by Mr. J. Harvey, Inspector of Schools, of them.
LA
(He does not, however, say Bo at the place above cited nor in his Ancient Geography of India. D. 210.
where he again describes Harappa. -ED.]
Plate XXXIII. Fig. 1, in Arch, Suru. Ind. Vol. V.
