The Indus Civilization c9.16

c9.16

There is nothing primitive about the pottery of the Indus valley, for the shapes are very varied and the technique advanced; indeed, the specimens are, almost without exception, obviously the work of people trained in a long and well-established craft. Few of the vessels, however, can really be compared with those of Elam or Sumer, although the tall offering-stand which has a base of trumpet form and a shallow dish at the top resembles some found at Kish, Ur, and Fara in Babylonia. The Indus Valley stands, like those of Sumer, are made in two pieces carefully luted together, but certain bowl-shaped jar-lids with a projecting handle in the centre that occur at Mohenjo-daro have only appeared at Jemdet Nasr—a site antedating the Early Dynastic Period of Babylonia, which latter was contemporary with the Indus civilization.