Which of the following statements are correct?
(A) Harappan seal was a most distinctive artifact of the Harappan Civilization.
(B) Harappan seal motifs conveyed a meaning to those unable to read it.
(C) Harappan seals had Sanskrit script on them.
(D) Harappan seals had Pali and Prakrit inscriptions on them.
(E) Some Harappan seals show wider spacing of script from right and cramping on the left.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (A), (B) and (E) only
(A) Harappan seal was a most distinctive artifact of the Harappan Civilization. Correct. The Harappan seal is possibly the most distinctive artefact of the Harappan or Indus valley civilisation. Made of a stone called steatite, it often carries animal motifs and signs from a script.
(B) Harappan seal motifs conveyed a meaning to those unable to read it. Correct. A seal usually has a line of writing, probably the name and title of its owner, and scholars suggest that the motif, generally an animal, conveyed a meaning to those who could not read.
(C) Harappan seals had Sanskrit script on them. Incorrect. The Harappan script remains undeciphered to date, so it cannot be called Sanskrit. It was not even alphabetical, as it has somewhere between 375 and 400 signs.
(D) Harappan seals had Pali and Prakrit inscriptions on them. Incorrect. For the same reason, no one has been able to read the language of the Harappan seals; their short inscriptions, of 26 signs at the most, are in a script that is still undeciphered.
(E) Some Harappan seals show wider spacing of script from right and cramping on the left. Correct. Some seals show a wider spacing on the right and cramping on the left, as if the engraver began from the right and ran out of space. This shows that the script was written from right to left.
NCERT (2025-26): “The Harappan seal (Fig.1.1) is possibly the most distinctive artefact of the Harappan or Indus valley civilisation. Made of a stone called steatite, seals like this one often contain animal motifs and signs from a script that remains undeciphered. Yet we know a great deal about the lives of the people who lived in the region from what they left behind – their houses, pots, ornaments, tools and seals – in other words, from archaeological evidence.… 7.2 An enigmatic script … Harappan seals usually have a line of writing, probably containing the name and title of the owner. Scholars have also suggested that the motif (generally an animal) conveyed a meaning to those who could not read. Most inscriptions are short, the longest containing about 26 signs. Although the script remains undeciphered to date, it was evidently not alphabetical (where each sign stands for a vowel or a consonant) as it has just too many signs – somewhere between 375 and 400. It is apparent that the script was written from right to left as some seals show a wider spacing on the right and cramping on the left, as if the engraver began working from the right and then ran out of space.…” |