🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
Mesopotamian texts refer to a region called Meluhha, widely believed by scholars to describe the Indus Civilization.
Thousands of steatite seals bearing short inscriptions and animal motifs have been uncovered at Harappan sites. Similar seals have also been found in Mesopotamian cities such as Ur and Susa. These discoveries date primarily to the third millennium BCE. The presence of Indus artifacts abroad confirms long-distance trade connections. Many seals feature the so-called unicorn motif alongside script symbols. Most inscriptions contain fewer than ten characters. The script remains undeciphered despite extensive study. Seals were likely used to mark goods or identify merchants. Trade networks extended far beyond the Indus basin.
💥 Impact (click to read)
Economically, seal distribution demonstrates integration into Bronze Age exchange systems. Maritime and overland trade routes connected South Asia to West Asia. Standardized seals facilitated trust in commercial transactions. The inability to read the inscriptions limits insight into contract details. Nevertheless, material distribution confirms diplomatic and economic connectivity. Harappan commerce operated within globalized ancient networks. Trade expanded cultural reach.
For merchants, seals served as portable identity markers. Craftspeople carved intricate designs into soft stone before firing them. Traders traveling vast distances carried symbols of origin. Goods stamped with these seals crossed deserts and seas. The inscriptions once conveyed meaning clearly understood by users. Today, the script remains silent. Commerce outlived comprehension.
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