Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c12.s4: Special Materials for Animal Figurines and Beads
Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c12.s4
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Special Materials for Animal Figurines and Beads
v1.c12.s4.1
In the area J of Harappa a few terracotta toys (animal) were found with their fore and hind legs fashinoned in a large piece, i.e., without a division between the two legs. Vats is of the opinion that such toys are not found at Mohenjo-Daro. The animal figures, mostly in terracotta, have been found in very large numbers at Harappa. It offers a great variety of animal figures compared to those yet recorded from Mohenjo-Daro. These figures are fairly common in faience, specially the squirrels and rams. More rarely these were made of steatite, shell and bone. By far the largest number of these pottery toys are bulls, the humped variety being more common than the humpless ones. Amongst the aquatic animals are the crocodile, turtle and fish, and among the birds the duck, peacock, hen, kite, pigeon, sparrow, dove, parrot, owl are prominent. Besides these, there are steatite bird, faience parrot, steatite owl, terracotta pigeon, peacock, hen, duck, faience fish with white glaze, faience snakes, stone mongoose, humped bull in green faience, rhinoceros of burnt steatite and terracotta elephant and tigers at Harappa, which deserve special attention. (MSV, 182, 300-09)
v1.c12.s4.2
One very interesting fact about the Harappa beads is the great number of those which were made of steatite. In no other place, has such a large proportion of the beads found to be of this material. In addition to the number found, the variety of treatment that these have received is quite exceptional. Some specimens are in the natural stone, but the great majority have had some sort of treatment with heat, which has whitened the surface. Such beads have been called "Burnt steatite beads". Among the steatite beads those that show the most striking novelty as far as decoration is concerned, are the painted steatite beads. The methods by which these were made is not clear, but Vats thinks that both the red and the brown colours are due to iron. The red colour can be produced by painting the pattern on the stone with ferric nitrate solution and then heating it to red heat in a crucible which is packed with magnesium oxide. (MSV, 392, 394)
v1.c12.s4.3
Apart from this, there were small steatite beads, varying greatly in size, cone beads, gadrooned beads, cross beads, step beads, tooth beads, natural steatite beads and copper tube in bead. (MSV, 394-98)
v1.c12.s4.4
Next to steatite, the greatest number of stone beads are made from the silicate stones which are all more or less pure varieties of quartz. There are two main divisions of silicate stones. The first included the transparent varieties of quartz of which the chief are colourless quartz or rock crystal, amethyst, yellow quartz or cairngorm and smoky quartz. The second division includes the pellucid and opaque varieties such as agate, carnelian, chalcedony, chert etc. (MSV, 398) In Harappa, the beads found were of the second variety only. The first variety was common in Mesopotamia, but strangely not in Harappa.
v1.c12.s4.5
Agate is evidently a favourite material for beads at Harappa and is also noticeable in Mesopotamia, where agate beads with both circular and elliptical section are common. Comparatively few of the specimens from Harappa show specially good workmanship. (MSV, 399)
v1.c12.s4.6
A number of broken pieces of agate have been cemented together in a chalcedony matrix. This is a rare material. The only other beads made from it that have been found up to now are from Mohenjo-Daro; probably the material for both the Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro beads comes from the same place. (MSV, 400)
v1.c12.s4.7
The carnelian beads are also few in Harappa. Only few beads of this type have been found which are exceptionally long barrel beads. The beads are exactly similar in shape to some from Mesopotamia. A second variety of etched carnelian bead is sometimes met with, in which the whole surface of the bead is whitened over, to a considerable depth by the usual method, and then a design in black is etched on the top by means of a metal salt. (MSV, 401)
v1.c12.s4.8
The chalcedony, chert, jasper and lapis lazuli beads have also been found at Harappa, but these are not profuse in number. Only three specimens of lapis beads have been recorded. This is very interesting, as enormous number of lapis lazuli beads have been found in Mesopotamia, and their shape is both circular and elliptical form. This shape is not found among the Harappa beads. (MSV, 903)
v1.c12.s4.9
There are several varieties of faience beads found at Harappa, but all those examined consisted of fine quartz grains in an isotropic medium. Most, if not all, of the beads were coloured, the original colours seem to have been blue, yellow, black and white, but some have corroded to a different colour from what these originally were. There are a number of zone and spiral beads which are made of the varieties of faience, either red and white or white and brown, the brown in some cases being almost black. (MSV, 404-5)
v1.c12.s4.10
Besides the above-mentioned beads, a good number of shell beads, ivory beads, copper beads, silver and gold beads were commonly made at Harappa and probably sent to Mesopotamian or Egyptian countries. Thus, a general survey of the beads obtained from Harappa shows several very interesting anomalies. A number of cases seem to point with absolute certainty a contact between the Indus and Mesopotamian civilizations. On the other hand, there are several facts which make this contact seem very improbable. If there were only one or two points suggesting definite contact, it might be thought that there was no close contact, and the individual cases were due to some haphazard trade, but such cases are too frequent. (MSV, 909)
v1.c12.s4.11
Perhaps the most striking connection relates to the etched carnelians. This rare and different process is not likely to have originated in more than one country. Thus the two plaque beads from Mohenjo-Daro and Ur are so identical in design that it cannot be accidental and at least two of this design came from each place. Although etched beads are very rare at Mohenjo-Daro, a fair number originated at Harappa. (MSV, 410) Thus Harappa could have been the major source of such beads.
v1.c12.s4.12
Then the small steatite beads from Harappa are practically the same as the beads from grave P.G. 55 in the early cemetery at Ur. The great number of these small beads in this grave is very extraordinary, since the use of burnt or treated steatite is very rare in Mesopotamia at that period. These beads were associated with an approximately equal number of lapis and carnelian beads. It is suggested that they formed a girdle. To suggest that such a girdle was imported complete, is not a satisfactory explanation as lapis beads are apparently very rare on the Indus. Even the trefoil ornament and the stepped design has been found both from Harappa and Mesopotamia. (MSV, 410)
v1.c12.s4.13
On the other hand, the following facts testify against a very close connection between the two countries. Firstly, the Indus civilization, as far as beads are concerned, was primarily a steatite civilization. More beads were made of this material, but in Mesopotamia very few beads of steatite have been found. Although in Egypt glazed steatite beads were commoner, these were generally small until a much later date, and never reached the size of the larger Indus specimens. Secondly, the technique of painting steatite is not known elsewhere apart from Harappa — either in Mesopotamia, Egypt or Greece. Thirdly, there is the rareness of lapis in the Indus civilization. That it is so rare in Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro but so extremely common at Ur is difficult to account for. Fourthly, no bead of crystalline quartz, amethyst, garnet or obsidian occur at Harappa, though these materials are fairly common in Mesopotamia. Fifthly, the bicone shaped lapis beads at Ur was not found from Harappa. Sixthly, flattened leach beads have not been reported from Harappa, while quite a number of faience, agate, and other stones have been found in Mesopotamia. Seventhly, objects called plumb-bobs have been found in some numbers at Ur, but they have not been found at Harappa. Eighthly, the frit beads are of two varieties, hard and soft. Most of the Mesopotamian beads are made of the soft frit. Neither variety occurs amongst the beads obtained from Harappa.
v1.c12.s4.14
Thus, to summarise, Vats pointed to eight facts which suggest extensive intercourse between the Indus and Mesopotamian civilization. One, the seal from Kish. Two, similar etched carnelians. Three, the tabular beads with median ridge. Four, flat elliptical and lenticular barrels. Five, the long carnelian barrels; six, the small burnt steatite beads like those from Ur, seven, the trefoil design; eight, the step design.
v1.c12.s4.15
As against this, we have the following eight facts which suggest that the connection between the two civilizations was not very close. One, great quantities of steatite at Harappa only. Two, ‘painted’ steatite known only in the Indus Valley. Three, rareness of lapis at Harappa. Four, no beads of quartz, garnet or obsidian at Harappa. Five, no standard elliptical bicones. Six, no leach beads, seven, no plumb-bobs, eight, no soft frit bead at Harappa.
v1.c12.s4.16
So, according to Vats, the only solution seems to be that the two civilizations met in a third one, not at present discovered, and that this third culture zone acted like a filter, handling on same articles and detaining others. (MSV, 411-12) It is clear also that beads of certain materials like steatite, burned steatite, painted steatite, etched carnelian, shell, ivory etc. were Harappan and not imported.