The Indus Civilization (Cambridge History of India, Supplementary Volume) c17.45

c17.45

Nearly three-quarters of the terra-cottas represent cattle, normally humped bulls although the short-horn and the buffalo also occur. Strangely, cows are *never* represented. Other animals include the dog, sheep (rarely), elephant, rhinoceros, pig, monkey, turtle, and indeterminate birds. One terra-cotta, from a late level at Mohenjo-daro, seems to represent a horse, reminding us that the jaw-bone of a horse is also recorded from the site, and that the horse was known at a considerably earlier period in northern Baluchistan (p. 60). Man-headed animals, often with beard and short horns, are not uncommon. The mould is rarely or never used for these figurines, and the modelling is generally rough and summary. A few of the bulls, however, reach a high level of excellence; pl. XX represents a boldly rendered example in which the strong neck and head and heavy dewlap show an unusual mastery. Whether these figures were secular or votive or both can only be guessed.