File:The Priest King of Moenjo Daro.jpg

English: The Priest King of Moenjo Daro. This is the Indus Valley artifact called the Priest King. He is the iconic representation of Indus civilization. He dates to 2200-1900 BC and was found at the Mohenjo Daro archaeological site, Sindh Province, Pakistan.

Seated male sculpture, or "Priest King" from Mohenjo-daro (41, 42, 43). Fillet or ribbon headband with circular inlay ornament on the forehead and similar but smaller ornament on the right upper arm. The two ends of the fillet fall along the back and though the hair is carefully combed towards the back of the head, no bun is present. The flat back of the head may have held a separately carved bun as is traditional on the other seated figures, or it could have held a more elaborate horn and plumed headdress.

Two holes beneath the highly stylized ears suggest that a necklace or other head ornament was attached to the sculpture. The left shoulder is covered with a cloak decorated with trefoil, double circle and single circle designs that were originally filled with red pigment. Drill holes in the center of each circle indicate they were made with a specialized drill and then touched up with a chisel. Eyes are deeply incised and may have held inlay. The upper lip is shaved and a short combed beard frames the face. The large crack in the face is the result of weathering or it may be due to original firing of this object.

This statue was thought to be used for religious purposes, due to the fact the the statue's robe is laid over his left shoulder, which is considered a sacred symbol. The civilization was thought to be run by priests, explaining the existence of the statue itself.

This artifact is a valuable source when it comes to studying history because it reveals a lot about how the civilizations of the Indus River were run. It shows that the Indus River Valley Civilization had a religion, from the sacred symbols on the statue itself and gives ideas to a form of government, providing the fact that priests may have run the civilizations. Statues were typically made to remember a person or an event, creating the idea of a priest-king ruler or a worshiped God.

Since the artifact is a statue and displays no writing, we can never be completely sure of what the statue is or what it was used for. We know when and where the statue was discovered and the size of the statue but anything more, is educated assumption. Nobody is quite sure if the statue was made for praise of a God, or a king. There could still be more relating statues that have yet to be discovered or the current statue could be broken, also causing problems.