History of Chemistry in Ancient and Medieval India, Incorporating the History of Hindu Chemistry by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray c10.2

c10.2

Evidences of the earliest cultural settlement in India have been obtained from the excavations in Baluchistan and the neighbouring parts of Sind Earliest agricultural communities yet known in India have been iudentified in these mountainous and desert areas of the country. It is estimated to date back in the fourth millenium B. C. and shows a close relationship with the ancient Bronze Age Culture of the neighbouring regions of Western Asia. Various settlements that have been unearthed are believed by the archæologists, to represent more or less independent cultures of their own, and a classification has been made on the basis of the techniques employed in pottery painting. People in these ancient settlements were all acquainted with the art of making potteries of burnt clay and painting them with various designs. A broad classification, based on the colour of the wares, has been made with subdivisions named after the sites of occurrence as shown below (*cf.* Fig. 1).