EricOlidjam and Helene David-Cuny estimate 70,000 workshops in Dilmun area manufacturing seals. This is a rough estimate of the levels of industrial scale metalwork activities in the areawith close contacts with Sarasvati Civilization.
The seals though of a seak morphology different from the Indus Seals, do display Indus Script hieroglyphs which are read rebus in Meluhha.
520 LC One-horned young bull. khōṇḍa singhin,spiny-horned young bull; semantic determinatve Hieroglyph Crook: 7 Ta. kōṭi corner. Ma. kōṭi, kōṭu id. Ko. ko·ṇḍ a bend; ko·ṇṭ gi·r rainbow (ki·r line). To. kwï·ṭy direction (in songs). Ka. gōṭu angle, corner, point of the compass, edge; gōṇṭu corner, etc., point of the compass. Tu. kōḍi corner;
kōṇṭu angle, corner, crook. Nk. kōnṭa corner. Pa. kō̃ṭa id. Go. (G.) kōnṭa corner (Voc. 969). (DEDR 2054) : kō̃da कोँद । कुलालादिकन्दुः f. a kiln; a potter's kiln (Rām. 1446; H. xi, 11); a brick-kiln (Śiv. 1033); a lime-kiln. -bal -बल् । कुलालादिकन्दुस्थानम् m. the place where a kiln is erected, a brick or potter's kiln (Gr.Gr. 165). --khasüñü --खस॑ञू॒ ।कुलालादि
520 ALX kã̄ṛ 'large millet stock' rebus: kaṇḍ 'fire-altar,furnace' kaNDa 'implements' PLUS dula 'pair' rebus:dul 'metal casting'. Thus, metalcasting furnace PLUS dhangar 'bull' rebus:dhangar 'blacksmith'
520 ZA dhangar 'bull' rebus:dhangar 'blacksmith'
520 LB dhangar 'bull' rebus:dhangar 'blacksmith' PLUS hieroglyph: footprint: meṭ sole of foot, footstep, footprint (Ko.); meṭṭu step, stair, treading, slipper (Te.)(DEDR 1557). Rebus: meḍ 'iron' (Munda)
520ZJ Hieroglyph: Scorpion:bicha 'scorpion' Rebus: bica 'haetite, sandstone ferrite ore' PLUS Crucible hieroglyph: koṭhāri 'crucible' Rebus: koṭhāri 'treasurer' kuThAru 'armourer'.PLUS pole star hieroglyph: mēḍh 'pole star' rebus: mēḍ 'iron' med 'copper' (Slavic) .medhā 'dhana,yajna'
520 YT Pair of antelopes? ranku 'antelope' rebus: ranku 'tin ore' PLUS dula 'pair' rebus: dul 'metalcasing'
520 ADO Pair of goats flanking palm tree: mlekh 'goat' rebus: milakkhu 'copper' PLUS dula 'pair' rebus: dul 'metalcasting' PLUS tāṛ, tāla 'palm tree' rebus: ḍhāla 'large ingot' Alternative: tamar, ‘palm tree, date palm’ Rebus: tam(b)ra, ‘copper’ (Prakrit)
520 ABA Standing person with upraised arm hieroglyph: meD 'body' rebus: meD 'iron' PLUS eraka 'upraised arm' rebus: eraka 'metal infusion' PLUS tāṛ, tāla 'palm tree' rebus: ḍhāla 'large ingot'
520 ADP Standing person with upraised arm holding stalk hieroglyph: meD 'body' rebus: meD 'iron' PLUS eraka 'upraised arm' rebus: eraka 'metal infusion' PLUS kã̄ṛ 'large millet stock' rebus: kaṇḍ 'fire-altar,furnace' kaNDa 'implements'. PLUS division hieroglyph as a semantic determinative: khaNDA 'division' rebus: kaNDA 'implements'.
520 LA meD 'body' rebus: meD 'iron' PLUS eraka 'upraised arm' PLUS division hieroglyph khaNDA 'division' rebus: kaNDA 'implements'.PLUS kã̄ṛ 'large millet stock' rebus: kaṇḍ 'fire-altar,furnace' kaNDa 'implements'
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Arabian gulf dhangar 'bull' rebus:dhangar 'blacksmith' PLUS kã̄ṛ 'large millet stock' rebus: kaṇḍ 'fire-altar,furnace' kaNDa 'implements'
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Arabian gulf dhangar 'bull' rebus:dhangar 'blacksmith' PLUS kã̄ṛ 'large millet stock' rebus: kaṇḍ 'fire-altar,furnace' kaNDa 'implements'Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Proto-Dilmun dhangar 'bull' rebus:dhangar 'blacksmith' PLUS kã̄ṛ 'large millet stock' rebus: kaṇḍ 'fire-altar,furnace' kaNDa 'implements' PLUS mlekh 'goat' rebus: milakkhu 'copper' PLUS dula 'pair' rebus: dul 'metalcasting'.
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Proto-Dilmun dhangar 'bull' rebus:dhangar 'blacksmith' PLUS kã̄ṛ 'large millet stock' rebus: kaṇḍ 'fire-altar,furnace' kaNDa 'implements' PLUS mlekh 'goat' rebus: milakkhu 'copper' PLUS dula 'pair' rebus: dul 'metalcasting'.Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Dilmun Style 1ameD 'body' rebus: meD 'iron' PLUS eraka 'upraised arm' PLUS division hieroglyph khaNDA 'division' rebus: kaNDA 'implements'.PLUS kã̄ṛ 'large millet stock' rebus: kaṇḍ 'fire-altar,furnace'
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Dilmun Style 1ameD 'body' rebus: meD 'iron' PLUS eraka 'upraised arm' PLUS division hieroglyph khaNDA 'division' rebus: kaNDA 'implements'.PLUS kã̄ṛ 'large millet stock' rebus: kaṇḍ 'fire-altar,furnace' Image may be NSFW.
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[After Eleven seals from the workshop area in Excavation 520 at Qal’at al-Bahrain (Kjærum 1994: figs. 1726, 1729, 1731–2, 1734–5, 1737, 1739, 1741–43).]
Dilmun seal morphology
[After Figure -- Seal morphology and styles for the City IIa-c period and their distribution patterns according to find context (Crawford 2001: 4197:03, 6583:01, 5510:15; Kjærum 1994: fig. 1723).]
After Table 3 in: Eric Olijdam & Hélène David-Cuny , Dilmun-Meluhhan Relations Revisited in Light of Observations on Early Dilmun Seal Production during the City IIa-c Period (c. 2050-1800 BCE)
This contribution brings together information on several aspects of early seal ownership and seal production during the City IIa-c period. It shows that seals were common objects and that ownership was not restricted to specific professions or socio-economic segments of society. Seals were made in small workshops, alongside other items of jewellery and personal ornaments. They were carved from exotic raw materials that had to be imported. Softstone was the most common and there is mounting evidence that suggests a specific type of steatite was preferred by the ancient sealcutters. Surface treatments were applied in order to achieve the desired effect of a shiny white seal. This dictated the preference for dolomitic steatite and limited the scope of possible alternative materials. It is suggested that the pyrotechniques that were employed and the choices that were made by the ancient seal-cutters form a technological style highly reminiscent of that of the Indus Civilization, including some of the important ideological associations. This approach and its tentative outcomes bolster the commonly accepted theory of a westward transmission of Harappan sealing technology, which has so far been based primarily on iconographic analysis.