An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c16.s16: 11.16 Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) and Associated Wares
An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c16.s16
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11.16 Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) and Associated Wares
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The early discoveries of the NBPW were at SARNATH near Varanasi (J. Marshall in *ASI-AR 1904-5*, p. 59), at BHITA near Allahabad (in *ibid.*, *1909-10*, p. 40; *1911-2*, pp. 37, 80-1), where it was described as 'fine black lustrous' and in the lower levels of Bhir Mound, Taxila (Marshall, 1951, 2, p. 432), where it was regarded as the Greek Black Ware, with an uncertainty as to whether it was imported or made locally. A list of the distribution of the ware was published by R.E.M. Wheeler and Krishna Deva, in *AI*, 1, 1946, pp. 55-6, who christened the ware as the 'northern black polished ware', now spelt with capital initials. This list contained 18 sites and pointed to the Ganga basin as the main centre of the ware. The list was revised by Lal and Thapar [*AI*, 10 and 11, 1954 and 1955, pp. 143-6], where 26 more sites, some of them in Maharashtra and Orissa, not covered in the first list, were added. Nigam, 1961, pp. 45-6, published a third list with 111 sites, the largest number of which (52) were in Uttar Pradesh, the next in order of frequency being Madhya Pradesh (20), Bihar (14), Maharashtra (4), Rajasthan (3), Andhra Pradesh and Delhi (2 each). Thapar's later map [*AI*, 20 and 21, 1964 and 1965, p. 72], emphasized the geographical limits of the ware. Yet another list by Agrawal, Nath and Gupta, 1971-2, contained notices of NBPW sites as reported in *IAR 1953-4* to *1969-70*. Since then the horizon of the ware has considerably enlarged. The latest list, up to 1976, has been given by Roy, 1977; according to it 415 sites have produced this ware or its assemblage covering a distance of about 2121 km from n. to s. and about 1790 km from e. to w., the n.most site being Udegram in Swat, though Charsada and Taxila are the more extensive n. peripheral settlements, and the s.most limit being marked by CHEBROLU, Dt Guntur, farther s. than the better known sites of AMARAVATI and DHARANIKOTA. The w.most site is PRABHAS on the Kathiawad littoral and the e.most are BANGARH, Dt W. Dinajpur, and CHANDRAKETUGARH, Dt 24-Parganas. The main concentration of sites is in the e. part of the upper Ganga valley with its epicentre in Uttar Pradesh, which contains 292 of the total of 415 known sites. Thus the spread of the ware can claim a larger area than any other known ware of India, perhaps even larger than that of the Harappa Ware [11.3]. [This wide distribution has been variously ascribed to the spread of Mauryan imperialism (Ghosh, 1973, p. 15, with references), of Buddhism (Subbarao, 1968, p. 46) or of iron technology through trade routes (Agrawal, 1971, p. 244).]
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Fig. 38. Magalithic pottery, south India and Deccan: black-and-red ware
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**Fig. 39.** Megalithic pottery, south India and Deccan: red ware
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Fig. 40. Monochrome Northern Black Polished Ware
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Wheeler and Krishna Deva, 1946, gave the first systematic description of the NBPW found at AHICCHATRĀ, followed by Thapar, 1954 and 5, who described 101 sherds of HASTINĀPURA, Deo and Ansari, 1958, dealing with the limited number of specimens from NAVDATOLI-MAHESHWAR, grouped the ware into three fabrics on the basis of thickness. Narain and Roy, 1968, dealt with the ware of PRAHLADPUR and pointed out its difference from the Black-slipped Ware [11.13]. At RAJGHAT⁴ the NBPW accounts for nearly 50% of the total pottery recovered from the early and late phases of the ware (Narain and Roy, 1977), wherein two clear groups are visible: (1) monochrome, and (2) bichrome.
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All the monochrome specimens have a fine thin fabric. They are made of well-levigated clay with little tempering material, are invariably potted on a fast wheel and have a strikingly lustrous surface. The core is blackish-grey but in some cases reddish. The surface colour of about 90% in this group is jet-black, brownish-black or bluish-black. The remaining 10% are either steel-blue, pinkish, silvery, golden, brown, chocolate, violet and deep red. These may be further divided into three grades. Sherds of grade I are hard and dense having a fine body fabric with a thin section. They have a glossy surface with a metallic sheen and it is difficult to scratch their surface with knife. When struck these pieces give a sharp note. These may be called top-graded NBPW. Grade II sherds are not so hard, are thicker and less glossy and smooth and can be scratched with a knife more easily. Sherds of grade III are soft and matt in appearance and can be very easily scratched with a knife. They are also comparatively thick and when struck give a softer note than those of grade II. They may be regarded as the coarser variety of the ware.
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Bichrome NBPW is much less frequent. It shares all the features of the monochrome group except that it shows the combination of two colours. This technique marks a step forward in the potter’s craft, when on the grey surface we find two shades, always contrasting in nature, one colour always offering a background for the contrast of the second which was purely decorative in nature. In some cases a haphazard design in one colour is set off against the other, so that there may not be an overlap between the two colours. The common designs are thick and thin horizontal bands, vertical strokes, vertical strokes coming out of a horizontal band, transverse bands or strokes and simple circular bands or arches. The combination of colours seen in this group is dark steel-blue and deep red, grey and light red, black and dark brown, black and brown, black and pale red and black and ash grey.
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Fig. 41. Bichrome Northern Black Polished Ware
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The shapes in the NBPW are almost totally represented by: (1) the dish with inverted or straight sides; (2) the bowl with straight, convex, corrugated or tapering sides; (3) the lid with flat terminal; and (4) the sharply carinated *hāṇḍī* (*AI*, 10 and 11, 1954 and 1955, p. 51). The KAUŚĀMBĪ forms are in conformity with these (Sharma, 1969, p. 129). These shapes are shared by the NBPW with the PGW [11.14] and the n. black-and-red ware [11.6], with both of which it wholly or partially overlapped both in space and in time. In addition, at ŚRĀVASTĪ there is the bottle-necked jar (Sinha, 1967, p. 23), at VAIŚĀLĪ the knobbed lid (Mishra and Roy, 1964, pp. 85-7) and at Tilaura-kot the saucer which could as well be used as lid, the lid with tapering sides, some with a projection to fit flanged vessels, and the small vase with varying rim-forms and conspicuous necks, at times with a cordon at the junction of the shoulder and neck (Mitra, 1972, pp. 18-9). That the NBPW was a *de luxe* ware at least outside its epicentre is indicated by specimens with their fragments having been repaired with copper rivets, fillets or pins (Sahni, p. 37). The variety of shapes shows that not all of them were used for eating purposes.
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[A Greek origin of the NBPW has been assumed on account of its superficial resemblance to the Greek Black Ware (Marshall, 1951, 2, p. 432; Wheeler, 1959, p. 30). This is most unlikely, as (1) in Bhir Mound, Taxila, it is essentially pre-Alexandrian (*AI*, 10 and 11, 1954 and 1955, p. 23), though Wheeler, [1959, p. 31] sought to dismiss this as the result of a defective observation of stratification; (2) laboratory tests have shown that the technique of manufacture was different in each case (*ibid.*, p. 30); and (3) the NBPW originated in the e. part of the n. and middle Ganga valley where and at a time when there were no Greek contacts.]
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Excavations at NBPW sites have brought to light a number of wares associated with the NBPW but differing from region to region. But what is important is that the NBPW occurs in two clear-cut contexts. In the earlier it is associated with the n. black-and-red ware [11.6], Black-slipped Ware [11.13], plain grey ware, PGW [11.14], red-slipped ware and coarse red ware. In the later context it is associated mainly with coarse grey ware and red ware. In the earlier context all the wares show a similarity of shapes (Narain and Roy, 1968, p. 68-9). The bowl and dish are the most common types, the vase and basin are rare and heavier shapes like the storage jar and other large pots are entirely absent. The typology of the vessels considerably changed in the late phase of the NBPW. The frequency of the bowl and dish decreases but that of the basin and vase increases. The shapes are strictly utilitarian. The pear-shaped vase, nail-headed and lipped basin, rimless *hāṇḍī* and pan with loop or lug handle are common. The only decoration met in this phase is raised concentric bands on the inner side of the bowl and dish of the coarse NBPW and coarse grey ware, sometimes with a knob in the centre.
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In the early phase of the NBPW graffiti [20.1] occur on the associated black-and-red ware at SONPUR, on the NBPW itself at ŚRĀVASTĪ and on the Black-slipped Ware at RAJGHAT⁴. In the late phase graffiti marks are found at RAJGHAT⁴ on the NBPW, both fine and coarse, and on coarse grey ware. At SONPUR as well these marks occur on the NBPW and unpainted grey ware.
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The basic spadework on the NBPW chronology was done by Wheeler and Krishna Deva, 1946. They proposed a span of from the 5th to the early part of the 2nd century B.C., because at Taxila the NBPW was mainly pre-Greek. Lal, [1954 and 1955, pp. 23-3], using the HASTINĀPURA evidence, dated it from the early 6th to the early 3rd century B.C. According to him as the NBPW at Taxila was pre-Alexandrian and with a 2 m thick occupational deposit between the coins of Alexander and the lowest NBPW the ware might have appeared at Taxila during the 6th century B.C. Later on Wheeler, 1959, p. 31, rejected the Taxila evidence on the ground that Taxila had not been dug stratigraphically. The next important evidence for the dating of NBPW comes from KAUŚĀMBĪ and PRAHLADPUR. AT KAUŚĀMBĪ the beginning of the ware was placed to *c.* 600 B.C. but the upper date was modified to the middle of the 1st century B.C. (Sharma, 1960, pp. 19-23). The beginning of the ware at PRAHLADPUR was assigned to 500 B.C. and the end to 21 B.C. [How the exact terminal date has been arrived at is not clear.] Thus the evidence can loosely confine the NBPW to a period from 600 to 100 B.C.
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Fig. 43. Red ware associated with late phase of Northern Black Polished Ware
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Although occupational depth cannot be regarded as a safe criteria for dating habitational debris, this roughly half-a-millennium of life-span as estimated at these sites continues to serve as an index for the general dating of the NBPW.
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On the basis of ¹⁴C determinations a bracket of *c.* 550 to 50 B.C has been proposed by Agrawal, 1971, p. 102. Mandal, 1972, p. 191, has examined 20 dates from about 12 sites and come to the conclusion that in most of the cases the ¹⁴C dates are younger than the archaeological dates. The available ¹⁴C dates (in B.C ) are as follows: ROPAR, 485 ± 100; HASTINĀPURA, 340 ± 110; AHICCHATRĀ, 475 + 105; NOH, 685 + 105; ATRĀNJIKHERĀ, 530 ± 85; KAUŚĀMBĪ, 500 ± 110; RAJGHAT⁴, 490 ± 110; RAJGIR, 265 ± 105; and HETIMPUR 500 ± 105 and A.D. 80 ± 105. At SONPUR and CHIRAND the earliest occurrence of the ware is in Pd II which follows Sub-pd IB, the date of the latter being 765 ± 100 B.C. and that of the former 635 ± 110 B.C. It is also significant that the peripheral sites like KAYATHA, UJJAIN and BESNAGAR have given dates of 470 ± 100 B.C., 450 ± 95 B.C. and 470 ± 105 B.C. respectively for the beginning of this ware. Even at the s. site of AMARAVATI the ware is reported in levels whose ¹⁴C dates range between 404 and 325 B.C
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A comparison of these ¹⁴C dates with stratigraphical dates at sites of various regions indicates that the ware did not appear at all the sites at one time. Even the dates of neighbouring sites like HASTINĀPURA and AHICCHATRĀ on one hand and KAUŚĀMBĪ and RAJGHAT⁴ on the other differ. The dates of the sites representing four *mahājanapadas* e.g. HASTINĀPURA (Kuru), AHICCHATRĀ (N. Pañcala), KAUŚĀMBĪ (Vatsa) and RAJGHAT⁴ (Kaśi) are also not consistent. [On the whole, however, calibration of ¹⁴C dates apart, the dates originally proposed by Wheeler and Krishna Deva, 1946, p. 56, viz. the 5th to the early part of the 2nd century, can still be regarded as holding the ground with marginal adjustments. It has been pointed out elsewhere, 4. 18. 1, that the somewhat prolonged career of the ware robs it to a certain extent of its value in precise dating.]
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For a comparative study of technology (1) a glazed sherd, (2) an ordinary black-painted sherd, (3) a graphite-coated sherd, and (4) NBPW sherds from RAJGHAT⁴ were subjected to preliminary testing in the laboratory of the Dept. of Silicate Technology, Banaras Hindu Univ. with the guidance and help of the members of that Dept. The test showed: *hardness*: except (1) all can be scratched with knife; *permeability of water*: except (3) which shows permeability of water after prolonged soaking, the rest were impervious; *kerosene*: no action on any; *hydrofluoric acid*: while (3) is insoluble, (1), (2) and (4) are soluble and in the last the polish comes of in thin flakes; *blast burner flame*: (1) is softened, (2) burns rapidly, (3) gets oxidized with prolonged heating, and (4) burns easily and the black colour changes to dull red grey at 1000° C; and *appearance under magnifying glass*: (1) shows a smooth, glossy and uniform surface, (2) shows a smooth, glossy but not very even surface, (3) shows dull and shining black patches with not a very uniform surface, and (4) exhibits black colour with a metallic sheen with a more uniform surface than (3) but not so smooth as (1). The effect of heat on the NBPW sherds shows that the polish does contain some fusible material like borax. In some of the fired pieces the surface shows some slight colour indicating the presence of some colouring metallic oxide like copper or iron added in a very small proportion. In some sherds the surface shows bloating of the body indicating that some very fusible flux got into it as an impurity; on the subsequent firing it fused into slag resulting in bloating of the pieces.
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Vessels were made of finely levigated clay obtained from the Varanasi Waterworks on the potter's wheel, fettled, cleaned and dried. The dried pots were given a smear or dip containing a low temperature fusible clay with a little soda or borax and a little portion or colouring metallic oxide, e.g. Fe or Cu or even both. After this *kabiz* was applied over the pots, which were then fired in large earthen pots containing rice husk. The mouths of the pots were closed so as to ensure a complete reducing condition and the pots were fired in the ordinary potter's kiln. After firing the wares got a black shining appearance similar to that of the NBPW. The *kabiz* referred to above consisted of *kabiz* 1 kg, bark of green mango trees 375 g, soda ash 23·32 g, green *babul* tree leaves 11·66 g and catechu 23·32 g. These ingredients were mixed with a suitable quantity of water, pounded together and left for a few days, after which they were pounded again and mixed thoroughly with some more water. The pounded barks and leaves were carefully removed. The whole *kabiz* slurry was sieved and was ready for use.
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For the above it seems that the black polish or slip of the NBPW is the result of (1) reducing fire, (2) the fineness of the *kabiz* or slip and the iron oxide added to it, and (3) the degree of temperature. While the first two conditions are essential for the black polish, the temperature determines whether it would be matt, glossy or glossy with metallic sheen. It also determines the hardness of the ware. Thus the ware which has received the lowest temperature is soft and has a matt surface. The ware which has received a higher temperature is glossy and hard but the one which has received the highest fire is the hardest and has a metallic sheen on it. The degree of heat given to the ware can also be broadly determined from the sound it gives when struck. Those pieces having a metallic sheen give a sharper note than those pieces having a matt appearance.
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Agrawal, D.P., 1971, *Copper Bronze Age in India*, New Delhi. Agrawal, R.C., Nath, S. & Gupta, S.P., 1971-2, in *Purātattva*, 5, pp. 79-83. Deo, S.B., & Ansari, Z.D., in Sankalia, H.D., Subbarao, B., & Deo, S.B, 1958, *Excavations at Maheshwar & Navdatoli*, Poona-Baroda. Ghosh, A., 1973, *City in Early Historical India*, Simla. Mandal, D., 1972, *Radiocarbon Dates & Indian Arch.*, Allahabad. Marshall, J., 1951, *Taxila*, Cambridge. Mishra, Y., & Roy, S.R., 1964, *Guide to Vaiśālī & the Vaiśālī Museum*, Vaiśālī. Mitra, D., 1972, *Excavations at Tilaura-kot & Kodan & Explorations in the Nepalese Tarai*, Kathmandu. Narain, A.K., & Roy, T.N., 1968, *Excavations at Prahladpur*, Varanasi; 1977, *Excavations at Rajghat (1957-8 to 1960-5)*, 2, *The Pottery*, Varanasi. Nigam, J.S., 1961, in *Mārg*, 14. Roy, T.N., 1977, "Study of NBPW Culture, an Iron Age Culture of India", unpublished thesis, Varanasi. Sahni, D.R., no date, *Arch. Remains & Excavations at Bairat*, Jaipur. Sharma, G.R., 1960, *Excavations at Kauśāmbī, the Defences & the Śyena-citi of Puruṣamedha*, Allahabad; 1969, *Excavations at Kauśāmbī 1949-50*, Mem. ASI., 74, Delhi. Sinha, K.K., 1967, *Excavations at Śrāvastī 1959*, Varanasi. Subbarao, B., 1958, *Personality of India*, Baroda. Wheeler, M., 1959, *Early India & Pakistan*, London. For other sites see respective entries in vol. II.—T.N. ROY