The Indus Civilization (Cambridge History of India, Supplementary Volume) c17.59

c17.59

If we pass on to the Indus pottery in general, we are at present confronted with an inchoate mass of material into which only fresh and systematic digging on modern lines can be expected to bring order. There is no doubt that the so-called uniformity of the Harappan culture in depth has been exaggerated, and is due as much to archaic methods of research as to any inherent conservatism in the ancient craftsmen. The excavations on the Mohenjo-daro citadel in 1950 showed that change and evolution are clearly recognizable in the Indus ceramic and that, in particular, there was a lowering of technical standards in the later phases. The details remain to be explored and worked out in connexion with further deep digging, and the task is well worth the considerable labour which would have to be expended upon it.