Shudras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order down to circa A.D. 600 c12.60

c12.60

The pottery of the period, which is remarkable for the use of different types of Roman ware and their imitations, is found in plenty at Arikamedu and scattered in almost all parts of the peninsula. In addition to the Sātavāhana ware and the ‘red’ polished Kuṣāṇa ware we come across the remnants of the older pottery types and the emergence of local types. Although pottery did not form an article of export, we may presuppose the existence of a numerous class of potters to serve the cooking and storing needs of the growing town population. A good portion of the red ware was beautifully decorated, apparently for satisfying the sophisticated taste of the rich urban population. Urbanism provided an unprecedented market for terracottas which reached the peak point in numbers in the Kuṣāṇa-Sātavāhana phase.⁴ Tiles for flooring and roofing appeared in this period, and ring-wells became far more numerous. All this naturally needed more and more potters.