An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c17.s3.7

v1.c17.s3.7

12.3.6 *Ivory plaquettes.* Plaquettes of ivory shaped as human figures in geometric form with highly stylized features have been reported from NAVDATOLI, NAGDA, UJJAIN, PRABHAS PATAN, ROPAR, SONKH and MATHURA; these have been dated to a period between *c.* 6th and 2nd centuries B.C. These figures are decked with incised lines and circlets forming part of a systematic decorative scheme betraying an established artistic tradition, although they have variations in shape. For instance the specimen from NAVDATOLI has a pentagonal head, short and featureless arms and the lower half of the body as a truncated triangle. The one from NAGDA has a rectangular head with wavy ends, rhombic body and two angular ends below attached to the projecting feet. The plaquette from ROPAR resembles a flat bottle in its general form. All the other figures are fragmentary. They can be associated with the primitive mother goddess on account of the presence of triangular decoration on their body. Although chronologically of the early historical period, they are typologically and stylistically somewhat similar to the eye goddess of w. Asia. It is not unlikely that these ivory plaquettes had some ritualistic connection with a disease like smallpox [cf. 12.6.].