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Source Description
Small stone seals, probably used to identify merchandise or property, are among the most numerous objects discovered from the mysterious proto-historic sites along the banks of the Indus River system. Like these, most have sensitively rendered animal imagery along with an inscription written in a script that has not yet been deciphered.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
147416
label
Seal with Two-Horned Bull and Inscription
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
147416
contentType
object
title
Seal with Two-Horned Bull and Inscription
description
Small stone seals, probably used to identify merchandise or property, are among the most numerous objects discovered from the mysterious proto-historic sites along the banks of the Indus River system. Like these, most have sensitively rendered animal imagery along with an inscription written in a script that has not yet been deciphered.
date
c. 2000 BCE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60756773
genreSpecific
Seals
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 3.2 x 3.2 cm (1 1/4 x 1 1/4 in.)
cul
Pakistan, Indus Valley civilization
accession
1973.16
Source extras
tec
steatite
tombstone
Seal with Two-Horned Bull and Inscription, c. 2000 BCE. Pakistan, Indus Valley civilization. Steatite; overall: 3.2 x 3.2 cm (1 1/4 x 1 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1973.160
collection
Indian Art - Indus Valley
didYouKnow
A perforated boss at the back allowed the seal to be suspended and easily pressed.
citations
citation
"The Year in Review for 1973." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 61, no. 2 (1974): 31-78.
page_number
Mentioned: no. 193, p. 79
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 286
citation
Kathman, Barbara A. <em>A Cleveland Bestiary</em>. Cleveland, OH; Cleveland Museum of Art, 1981.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 31, Mentioned: p. 31, p. 61
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 3
citation
Cunningham, Michael R., Stanislaw J. Czuma, Anne E. Wardwell, and J. Keith Wilson. <em>Masterworks of Asian Art</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1998.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 106-107
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:33:23.590000
sourceId
147416
dept
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
coll
Indian Art - Indus Valley
med
steatite
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
3cd63c45f2b4831f