The Indus Civilization c8.24

c8.24

Saddle-querns made from a hard, gritty stone have been found in great numbers at Mohenjo-daro, and were used for grinding grain. These have a pronouncedly convex base, perhaps because this helped to set them firmly in the ground, in spite of the fact that models from both cities show that these querns were sometimes placed in large pans to prevent any waste of flour. The cereals known to the inhabitants of the Indus valley included both wheat and barley, for samples of these have been discovered which, although black and carbonized, were sufficiently preserved to be identified as *Triticum sphærococcum* and *Hordeum vulgare*. Other stones with large hollows perhaps served to prepare curry-powders, for the local labourers on the site declared that they used identical grinders for this purpose.