Most Harappan seals were made of:

Most Harappan seals were made of steatite, a soft stone (also called soapstone).

About steatite seals:

• Steatite is soft and easy to carve.
• After carving, the seals were usually heated (fired), which made the surface hard and gave it a white, glossy appearance.
• The seals were usually square, about 2 to 3 cm across, with a knob at the back that had a hole, perhaps for a string.
• Some seals were rectangular, and a few were cylindrical (like those of Mesopotamia).

What the seals show:

• Most seals have an animal motif and a short inscription in the Harappan script.
• The most common animal on the seals is a one-horned animal, often called the "unicorn".
• Other animals include the humped bull (zebu), elephant, tiger, rhinoceros, buffalo and goat.
• Some seals show human or divine figures, scenes from rituals, or trees.

How the seals were used:

• They were probably used in trade, to stamp ("seal") bags or packages of goods, so that the goods could not be opened without breaking the clay seal.
• The impression of the seal on clay is called a "sealing"; sealings with marks of cords and sacks on the back have been found.
• They also showed the identity of the owner or sender.
• Some may have had religious or magical meaning.

About the Harappan script:

• It has not yet been deciphered.
• It was written mainly from right to left.
• Most inscriptions are very short.

Harappan seals in other countries:

Harappan seals have been found in Mesopotamia and in the Persian Gulf region (for example, at Bahrain), which shows trade links.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Terracotta was used for toys, figurines and some seals or tablets.
• ✗Ivory was used for combs and other objects.
• ✗Copper was used for tools and some tablets, but not usually for seals.