Image: Lynn Fawcett
Image: Lynn Fawcett

This is a pictograph of an archer with an angular bow and an arrow. His stance is suggestive of someone on horseback.


Illustrative Text Reference:

Mohenjo-daro: Seal: M-354 a: Jagat Pati Joshi and Asko Parpola, 1987: Corpus of Indus Seals and Inscriptions: Volume 1: Page 88: Collections in India: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia.

Comments:

This is Mahadevan's sign number 1069, which I have redrawn to better reflect the original.

 

You should note that the archer is portrayed holding the bow string rather than the bow. The string is at rest , but the bow shape resembles that of the drawn bow.

The shape of the bow is relevant. It determined what could be killed, from what distance, and at what speed. It may also indicate where the archer came from, because angular bows are associated with western Asia.

 

It is also worth noting that the angular bow is realistically portrayed as being shorter than the self bow.


Image Credit:

Archer with an Angular Bow: Lynn Fawcett, 2019.