Proto-Historic Engraved Seal Pendants from Gandi Umar Khan, Gomal Plain, Northern Pakistan: A typological cross-comparative study

Abstract

The seal pendants from the Proto-Historic site of Gandi Umar Khan, which date from the early Bronze Age (3400-2900 BC) to the mature Harappan Phase (2600 1900 BC), are thoroughly examined in this study. Through a typological cross comparative analysis, this paper explores the significance of early Indus-type engraved seal pendants discovered at the site. The early Indus-type seal pendants discovered in Gandi Umar Khan are critical for understanding the evolution of sealing practices and their administrative, social, and cultural implications for the region’s rising early elite and human populations. The study reveals that the development of protohistoric centers in Pakistan, particularly the Gandi Umar Khan site in the Gomal Valley, was largely influenced by the emergence of technologically advanced inhabitants. The presence of intricately carved Indus style seals suggests a sophisticated socio-economic structure and ethnic identity system that supported trade, symbolism, and communication networks in the region. This research contributes to the broader discourse on the material culture of the Indus Valley Civilization while proposing new interpretative frameworks for assessing seal-based iconography across early urban centers of South Asia.