ABSTRACT

This chapter examines seals from several geographically dispersed sites in the Greater Indus Valley with an eye toward identifying stylistic and iconographic differences in the glyptic art from different regions. Studies of pottery, burials, and other aspects of material culture have shown a fast-paced progression from a period of clear regional diversity in the pre-Harappan and Early Harappan to a period of overarching homogeneity during the Mature Harappan. Based on the material currently available, it seems that the Harappan sites with the greatest evidence for the use of sealing in administration are those on the edges of the Greater Indus Valley. It suggests that the differences in iconography between the sites of the Eastern Domain and those of the Harappan mainland may be related to the continued influence of the underlying Sothi-Siswal culture that existed in the Early Harappan period.