The Indus Civilization c7.39

c7.39

Kohl-pots and sticks prove that the women, and perhaps the men, used this, or some similar black substance, for the eyes; and an interesting find of rouge contained in cockle-shells provides a link with contemporary Sumer, for the same type of shell, used to hold face-paints, has been taken from graves at Kish and Ur. Carbonate of lead has also been discovered at Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, where it was possibly employed to whiten the face, a practice known in ancient Greece and also in China. On the other hand, it may have served as an eye-ointment or a hair-wash. Cinnabar, too, was used at Mohenjo-daro, probably as a cosmetic; and the finding of lumps of a green substance, identified as *terre verte*, tempt the writer to believe that this material was, like kohl, used for the eyes, as was malachite in ancient Egypt. As this substance, however, forms the green colouring on some of the polychrome pottery, it may well have been employed solely for that purpose.