Indian Pottery: Ancient and Traditional

Introduction

Pottery is one of the oldest human crafts, and Indian pottery provides the primary chronological framework for archaeology. From the ochre-colored pottery of the pre-Harappan period to the black polished wares of the Iron Age, pottery traditions are central to understanding India's cultural evolution. This note covers ancient archaeological pottery and living traditional pottery crafts.

Part I: Ancient Archaeological Pottery

Pre-Harappan and Harappan (circa 3300–1300 BCE)

Indus Valley Civilization Pottery

• Wheel-made: Advanced potter's wheel technology; also handmade for special items
• Fabric: Fine red clay with slip (liquid clay coating)
• Black-on-Red Ware: Most characteristic—black designs on red background
• Polychrome pottery: Rarer, multi-colored (red, black, green, rarely white)
• Incised and impressed designs in early phases

Key Design Motifs:

• Geometric: Circles, triangles, squares, wavy lines, checkerboards
• Naturalistic: Pipal leaf, fish-scale, peacock, humped bull, tree motifs
• Use of horizontal bands with interlocking patterns

Harappan Potter's Range:

• Everyday: Bowls, plates, storage jars, cooking vessels, beakers
• Special: Perforated jars (for straining?), goblets with pointed bases, miniature vessels, "S" shaped jars
• Ceramic bangles, toy carts, terracotta figurines (Mother Goddess, animals)
• Burials: Pottery offerings in cemetery H and R-37

Regional Varieties:

• Sindh/Kutch: Fine red pottery with glossy surface
• Punjab: Thicker, coarser with thick fabric
• Rajasthan (Kalibangan): Distinctively decorated with intersecting circles

Ochre Coloured Pottery (OCP) — circa 2000–1500 BCE

• Found in Ganga-Yamuna doab (Ahichhatra, Hastinapur)
• Coarse, sun-dried or poorly fired, ochre-colored (washes off when wet)
• Associated with Copper Hoard culture—considered pre-Iron Age
• Frequently found in upper Gangetic plains

Black and Red Ware (BRW) — circa 1500–800 BCE

• Painted Black and Red Ware (PBRW): Both colors on same vessel (black interior and rim, red body)
• Found at sites like Ahichhatra, Hastinapur, Noh, Attranjikhera
• Associated with Late Harappan and early Vedic periods
• Bi-colored effect achieved by inverted firing (inverted pot when firing creates reducing atmosphere inside)

Painted Grey Ware (PGW) — circa 1100–600 BCE