The Indus Civilization c9.26

c9.26

The contents of some of the large jars described above make it obvious that these vessels were frequently used as larders, their smooth, polished outer surface being an effectual barrier against rats. Other jars discovered under the floors in various houses served as receptacles for the family treasures, a very common way of storing jewellery in the East to-day; and, as before mentioned, the poorer people constantly employed large vessels as cess-pits when they were unable to afford a brick structure. Although jars have been found in Mesopotamia laid on top of one another to serve as vertical drains, this method of drainage never occurs at Mohenjo-daro, and the use of pottery pipes for this purpose, although not universal, was obviously found to be simpler and more adaptable. Even broken pottery had its uses, for sherds were used as scrapers, cut into round pieces for draughtsmen, and occasionally laid down as a porous layer beneath the floors of bathrooms.