The Indus Civilization c9.52

c9.52

A piece of ivory which once formed either the base or the top of a very fine vase has been found at Mohenjo-daro, and is ornamented with a design of intersecting circles in low relief, in which traces of the original red paste inlay still remain. The discovery of this fragment certainly indicates that ivory was used for larger objects, although it is, of course, impossible to say whether the whole of the jar was of the same material. Ivory was actually worked at Mohenjo-daro, for not only have a couple of tusks come to light, but several half-sawn blocks have been unearthed. It is strange that no animal or human figure made of this material has yet been found, for the fact that the elephant commonly appears on the seal-amulets (Pl. M, 6) shows that it was well known in the Indus valley and that ivory should have been easy to procure.