An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c16.s15.t1.1

v1.c16.s15.t1.1

The pottery from the c. Indian Megalithic burials [4.17.6] consists of four varieties, viz., the Black-and-red Ware, all-black ware, red ware and micaceous red ware, the last being peculiar to the Vidarbha region. The other wares are similar to those in the burials of the Deccan and s. India [4.17.8-11; 11, 15.3]. All the wares are wheel-turned and medium-to-thick in fabric. Due to the soil conditions obtaining in Vidarbha the pots have lost cohesiveness and are brittle: complete shapes are rarely recognizable and the nature of firing is indeterminable. However the all-black ware shows burnishing and the red ware is thick and crude. The micace- Megalithic culture of peninsular India [4.17.8-10] is indisputably uniform in fabric and technique. It falls into three main categories: the Black-and-red Ware, all-black ware and red ware. The whole assemblage, excepting certain categories of red ware, is wheel-turned, possibly on a slow wheel or turntable. The clay is usually well-levigated and shows a sparing use of tempering material like sand, quartz particles and chaff. The surface is slipped, polished, burnished or simply coated with a wash. The Black-and-red Ware is in some instances salt-glazed. Large urns of red ware are always handmade. The three- and four-legged jars in the same ware are partially wheel-turned and partially (legs and lower portions) handmade. Again excepting the large urns the whole range of pottery is normally well-fired.