Unicorn seals
The commonest Indus seal: a one-horned bull before a ritual stand, with a line of script.
More than half of all Indus seals show a single animal in profile with one horn, called the unicorn, standing before a stand that may be an incense burner or a filter. Above it runs a short inscription.
The seals were carved from steatite, then fired to harden them and give them a white glaze. Pressed into clay, they sealed bales and jars of goods; sealings with cloth impressions on the back have been found.
Indus seals have been found as far away as Mesopotamia and the Gulf, carried by merchants.
More from the Indus
The world's first great public water tank, sealed with bitumen on the citadel of Mohenjo-daro.
A bearded man in a trefoil-patterned cloak, carved in steatite: the face of the Indus civilisation.
A bronze girl, ten centimetres tall, standing with hand on hip, her arm covered in bangles.
A horned figure seated cross-legged among wild animals: the most debated image of the Indus.
Long red beads drilled through with stone drills and etched with white designs, prized from the Indus to Ur.
Polished cubes of chert made to one standard from the Ravi to the Arabian Sea.
Two small stone torsos from Harappa so lifelike that their date is still argued.
Little bullock carts, whistles, rattles and animals with nodding heads: the playthings of Indus children.