Horses/Indus seals

[Michael Witzel]

On Sun, 17 May 1998, Peter J. Claus wrote:

> There still seems to be something illogical about the argument.

I could not agree more!

And that means, as far as the WHOLE horse debate is concerned (more about
this later, now that the semester has ended).

With regard to horses or cows on seals, it is of course a well known fact
that only certain animals appear on the seals, esp. the Unicorn, Zebu
bull, rhinoceros, water buffalo, and the short-horned bull. Also elephant,
tiger, seals . <NOTE: all male, it seems: no female beasts, such as cows!)

All of which Archaeologists ( the late W. Fairservis), and now M.
Kenoyer in his recent book: Ancient Cities of the Indis Cvilization,
Oxford (Karachi) 1998) have often treated as clan signs.  (And joint
figures, with multiple heads, as clan alliances)

What has NOT been mentioned in the debate is that "all major domestic and
wild animals are represented by terracotta figurines" ( Kenoyer, p.  118),
incl. ram, water buffalo, humped bull, unicorn, hare, various birds, dog,
elephant, tiger, rhinoceros, and I quote:  "peacocks, pheasants, pigeons,
ducks, and the wild jungle fowl are all represented by terracotta
figurines or painted pottery." (p. 165).  Also (in narrative scenes on
certain seals) the "hooded cobra, birds, monkey, squirrel, mongoose, and
onager (wild ass) are all seen ... but never used on the square stamp
seals." (0p.  86) We may add fishes, garial and crocodile, tiger as well.
(Kenoyer, p.  165).

For a comprehensive argument, such information is vital as to avoid a
skewed picture.

But there are  NO HORSES (neither on on seals, inor n painting, nor as
figurines).

So what to conclude?

Since horses appear only by 1700 BC (bones AND representations) in the
Kachi plain/ Mehrgarh (on the border of the Iranian plateau, thus) the
argumentum ex nihilo carries SOME, if not  a lot of  weight.

MW>

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