An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c21.s12.2

v1.c21.s12.2

Evidence of the earliest pottery-kilns in the subcontinent comes from Mohenjo-daro. One of them in DK area in Block 9 in late levels enables us to visualize its shape and technical aspects. It is a vertical up-draught kiln of a cylindrical shape. At the bottom is the fire-chamber, 2·25 m in diameter and 1·04 m in height, nearly three-fourths of it being below the ground level. Above it is the baking chamber, with its floor also 2·25 m in diameter, supported by the circular wall of the fire-chamber and a column of bricks at the centre. It is perforated with 14 holes, to act as vents, each measuring about 11 cm in diameter, 13 of them arranged in a ring near the edge of the floor and one near the middle. The enclosure wall of the baking chamber is built of brick laid in mud mortar, plastered inside with clay. As extant it measures 40 cm in height and is without any vertical curvature. The height of the kiln cannot therefore be determined. It was probably domed with a chimney at the top like the 6th century B.C. Corinthian pottery kilns. LOTHAL (Harappa [4.9]) and INAMGAON (Chalcolithic [4.14.6] also have pottery kilns. [See also DAIMABAD.]