An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v2.c42.664

v2.c42.664

*Pd I* (*c.* 2000-1800 B.C.). Above the virgin soil was 1·50 m thick deposit of flood over which the first habitation took place. But the flood deposit also contained cultural material and it therefore appears that this habitation was located elsewhere in the adjoining area. The characteristic ceramic industry of this Pd is a coarse red/grey ware which is associated with a red-slipped ware and the black-and-red ware [11.6.1]. The red/grey pottery is represented by the basin with flaring sides and a flat bottom. The rim is decorated with incised patterns such as chevrons and oblique lines. The red-slipped ware is of fine fabric and is also highly burnished. Some of the vessels of this ware have parallel of oblique ribbings. The black-and-red ware has its exterior completely red and the interior completely black, a feature characteristic of the black-and-red ware from LOTHAL. However the shapes in this ware are only copies of those in the red/grey ware. Besides, there is a painted black-on-red pottery similar to the late Harappa [4.10] in Gujarat. The people used blade tools of chalcedony. Among the small finds mention should be made of segmented faience [16.6] beads and dentalium shells which also might have been used as beads. A charcoal sample from the flood deposit has given a very early date of 2410 ± 110 B.C. But the sample is likely to have been contaminated because of the presence of miliolite which may have inflated the date.