🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
Indus seals have been found at Mesopotamian sites, indicating contact between the two civilizations.
Harappa, located in modern-day Punjab, Pakistan, was a major urban center of the Indus Valley Civilization around 2600 BCE. Excavations uncovered over 2,000 steatite seals engraved with animal motifs and script symbols. These seals likely functioned as markers of ownership or trade authorization. Their discovery in Mesopotamian cities such as Ur indicates long-distance commerce. The Indus script remains undeciphered, yet the uniformity of seal design suggests bureaucratic oversight. Trade goods included carnelian beads, cotton textiles, and possibly grain. Maritime routes connected the Indus region with the Persian Gulf. Economic networks extended across thousands of kilometers. Standardization underpinned commercial trust.
💥 Impact (click to read)
Seal usage implies regulated exchange rather than informal barter. Economic integration with Mesopotamia reveals early globalization dynamics. Administrative tools enhanced accountability in transactions. Standard iconography fostered shared symbolic language. Trade diversified resource access beyond local production. Commercial sophistication supported urban growth. Economic systems anchored political stability.
For merchants pressing seals into clay, identity and reputation mattered as much as goods. The irony lies in how the script carved onto these seals remains unreadable while their commercial impact is undeniable. Trade left impressions even when language did not. Harappa’s economy spoke through objects.
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