An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c9.s18.6

v1.c9.s18.6

The diagnostic pottery of the first part of the period is the NBPW [11.16], which overlaps with the last phase of the PGW [11.14]; though distinctive in hue, indicative of a different kind of slip and condition in the kiln, its shapes are practically identical with the PGW ones; there is also similarity in some of the red wares associated with the two. With its origin in e. Uttar Pradesh and w. Bihar and thus having a more e. origin than the PGW, it nevertheless indicates a sort of continuity in the ceramic tradition. The NBPW spread practically all over India, though the diffusion must have been gradual and dependent on the distance from the epicentre. It has been variously conjectured that the expansion followed in the wake of Mauryan imperialism or of iron from Bihar or of Buddhism. The fact probably is that being the distinctive ceramic competent of the earlier part of the early historical period, it travelled with the culture itself. This, together with other cultural components such as terracottas [17], provides yet another evidence of a semblance of cultural uniformity over large parts of the country in the initial part of the period.