Stamp seal and modern impression: unicorn and incense burner (?)

Unknown

ca. 2600–1900 BCE · Burnt steatite · Ancient Near Eastern Art

Stamp seals were used in antiquity as marks of ownership and badges of status. In the large urban centers of the Harappan civilization, hundreds of square-shaped stamp seals were found in excavations. They are engraved with images of wild or domestic animals, humans, fantastic creatures, and possibly divinities. In this example, the creature is rendered in the typical strict profile, standing before what might be an altar. Its shoulder is covered by a decorated quilt or harness in the shape of an upside-down heart pattern. Most of the square stamp seals have inscriptions along the top edge. The Indus script, invented around 2600 B.C., is yet to be fully deciphered.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 2600–1900 BCE

Medium

Burnt steatite

Culture

Indus

Department

Ancient Near Eastern Art

Credit line

Dodge Fund, 1949