History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c15.3

v1.c15.3

This is a plausible explanation which has generally received acceptance. Probably because of this, the earlier vessels bear basket impressions. Once this was achieved, the potters art made strides and in a very short period of time we find that potters in West Asia began to fashion exquisite forms which were adorned with painted patterns as well. With the introduction of agriculture and the attendant settled life, the technique spread in adjoining areas too. In the Indian subcontinent also the earliest occurrence of pottery can be assigned to about 5000 B.C., as is clear from the recent excavations by the French Archaeological Mission at Mehergarh which is located on the Bolan Pass near Quetta (Jarriage and Lachevallier, pp. 47 to 80). Here, the earlier pottery was made by hand and shortly the potter’s wheel was introduced around 4000 B.C., enabling the potter to produce pottery on mass scale.