An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v2.c38.251

v2.c38.251

The pottery of the mature Harappans of Lothal was by and large the distinctive Harappa pottery [11.3] but had its individual features as well. In addition to the micaceous red ware and black-and-red ware mentioned above which marked the earliest occupation of Lothal and which the Harappans adapted to their own taste, typical Harappa forms like the perforated jar, goblet, beaker, small-necked jar, large jar with S-profile—all of the characteristic sturdy ware, usually red but sometimes buffish—are in evidence at Lothal. A local type was the convex-sided bowl with or without handle. The paintings usually followed the Harappa style but an important innovation was the realistic and vigorous depiction of fauna associated with flora, in a few cases perhaps depicting folk-tales. Thus there is a scene with a deer standing between a bird and a tree below, the bird standing merrily and proudly but the deer looking back dejectedly having failed to quench its thirst from the jar. Another scene, in the midst of elaborate designs mostly Harappa in character, gives the story of the bird (here a flock of them with fish in their beaks) and the jackal with a fish lying in its front. Landscaping with birds and plants is a feature of this provincial style.