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Article ID: CBB301624329

Astronomical clues in unicorn iconography of the Harappan civilization (2022)

Dolas, Prakash M. (Author)

Indian Journal of History of Science
Volume: 57
Issue: 1
Pages: 1-9

URI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43539-022-00030-8

DOI: 10.1007/s43539-022-00030-8

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Unicorn imagery on the seals of the Harappan civilization (HC) is shown to be a chimera. This study tries to interpret the iconography of the unicorn and the associated cult object in terms of interrelated myths-specifically Vedic myths around Prajāpati as Mṛgaśiraṣa (Orion). A reading of composite seal M1171 depicting the body of a bull with protomes of a bull, unicorn and an antelope strengthens our interpretation. The research implies that the Mature Phase of the HC within the timeframe of ~ 2600–1900 BCE may reveal memories of the Vedic astronomy as we understand it since millennia.

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