Prehistoric India to 1000 B.C. c12.7

c12.7

Fortunately, we have a rather remarkable amount of evidence for conditions in the third millennium B.C. in this area. The Harappā Culture counted among its achievements a representational art which concerned itself largely with animals and natural forms, and these representations of the contemporary wild and domesticated animals are amplified by the actual remains of animal bones recovered from the excavations. From these we see that the climatic conditions were such as to favour a suitable habitat for the rhinoceros and the tiger as well as the water-buffalo and the elephant, none of which survives as wild species in the region today (except the tiger, sometimes found in Sind). But on one of the ancient engraved stamp-seals all these animals surround a deity who appears as a lord of beasts with the main species in his domains. Many other representations of these beasts are known from Harappā art, and bones of all except the tiger have in fact been found at either Mohenjo-daro or Harappā.