The "Counting Skills" of Harappan People.

The "Counting Skills" of Harappan people.

 Harappan Civilization artefacts show the people had a sense for counting number of items i.e., 4 sticks or 7 fishes etc. This skill is evident from the drawings on pottery items excavated from that period. For example, one terracotta vessel shows a design where the painter made a motif consisting of 7 vertical lines and then repeated that 7 line motif throughout the surface of the pottery. On careful examination, one sees that the painter missed one line in few of the motifs i.e., drew 6 vertical lines instead of 7, but was able to count correctly in the next repeat motif on the vessel. This consistency in putting limits on the number of vertical strokes, and the number is a relatively big number i.e., 7 as opposed to a small number such as 2 strokes, indicates that people were aware of a number system. A small number of strokes such as 2, could easily be repeated without having to count i.e., via keeping visual symmetry of the motif in mind. But to draw 7 strokes in a repeating pattern would definitely require counting the number of strokes that the painter was painting. Another pottery painting shows a repeat pattern of 7 fish like items drawn vertically. One would need to count to draw 7 fishes exactly as has been done on the entire surface of the terracotta vessel ( a burial pot).