Ancient Indus Civilization Blog

"One of the finds from the former room [13] consisted of fragments of a pierced lattice of alabaster which presumably filled the windows or ventilators at the top of the wall. Perforated screens with geometric patterns have been met with before in Kushan and Gupta buildings. It is now patent that perforated lattices were known and employed in the Indus valley in the prehistoric period," (Marshall, Mohenjo-daro, Vol. 1, 1931, p. 219). See also An Indus House #1 and An Indus House #2. >

Drawing of the Interior of Hall 76, House XIII, VS Area [of Mohenjo-daro], one of 28 rooms in a well-preserved building. "There is nothing that we know of in prehistoric Egypt or Mesopotamia or anywhere else in western Asia to compare with the well-built baths and commodious houses of the citizens of Mohenjodaro" wrote John Marshall. "One of the finds from this [room] consisted of fragments of a pierced lattice of alabaster which presumably filled the windows or ventilators at the top of the wall" (Marshall, Mohenjo-daro Vol. 1, pgs. vi, 219). See also An Indus House #1 and An Indus House … >

"House 13 in the VS Area [of Mohenjo-daro] has a more elaborate plan . . . On its ground floor are four fair-sized courts, ten smaller rooms, three staircases, a porter's lodge, and a well-chamber. The front is towards First Street, and here there are three entrances side by side, the principal one of which is plainly the middle, since this is the only one provided with a porter's lodge. ... Entering the house by the main door one finds oneself in a small vestibule (Room 68), with a porter's lodge to the right and a second doorway directly opposite leading to the open Court 67. A feature of t… >

This drama is depicted on at least two other seals from the ancient Indus metropolis. In other scenes from Harappa, this is a female deity standing on an elephant with a spoked wheel sign above her head (see Deity Strangling Tigers Tablet). Asko Parpola writes: "The 'contest' motif is one of the most convincing and widely accepted parallels between Harappan and Near Eastern glyptic art. A considerable number of Harappan seals depict a manly hero, each hand grasping a tiger by the throat. In Mesopotamian art, the fight with lions and / or bulls is the most popular motif. The Harappan subst… >

The grand and rare humped zebu (bos indicus) motif on a pot from Nausharo (ca. 2600-2500 BCE) and on a square steatite seal from Mohenjo-daro (ca. 2500 BCE). Note how similar they are. The majestic zebu bull, with its heavy dewlap and wide curving horns is perhaps the most impressive motif found on the Indus seals. Generally carved on large seals with relatively short inscriptions, the zebu motif is found almost exclusively at the largest cities of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa. The rarity of zebu seals is curious because the humped bull is a recurring theme in many of the ritual and decorat… >

Gold cap shaped ornaments from Harappa found in a hoard of jewelry from Mound F, Trench IV, House 2. Note the tiny hoops on the inside. The loops could have been used to attach the ornament to clothing, as a hair ornament, or to attach them to a fancy necklace. See also Ornaments and Jewelry. >

The dancing girl of Mohenjo-daro in three views, with close-ups of face, choker and bangles. John Marshall writes of this figure: "the arms and legs . . . are adorned with armlets, bangles, and anklets. These ornaments may sometimes have been made of metal, but in all probability the majority of them were shell. The custom of wearing so many shell bracelets as almost to conceal the whole of the forearm is very common in India at the present day." (Mohenjo-daro and the Indus Civilization, 1931, p. 339). >

Harappa Mound AB Center with the great drain looking out over Punjab. Harappa was first excavated in 1872 by Alexander Cunningham, the original Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India. Although he named the mounds and found a seal and other implements after digging a handful of trenches, he was in search of a Buddhist city and did not realize that he had come upon a Bronze Age civilization that would push back Indian history 2,000 years. It took until 1921 before Harappa was excavated again by Daya Ram Sahni (inset shows unexcavated mound that year), but even then, it was not u… >

The large horns could represent the power or virility of the animal; whoever wore the horns would possess similar attributes. According to J.M. Kenoyer, they may depict powerful hunters, shamans or even some form of water buffalo or cattle deity. Asko Parpola writes "a male deity having similar long eyes and bulls horns, but a goat's beard in addition, is known from several terracotta masks and terracotta statuettes" (Indus Script, p. 234). See also Deity Strangling Tigers Tablet and Parpola's essay Deciphering the Indus Script. >

An Indus feline figurine from Harappa. Among the dangerous wild animals represented in the figurine corpus are large wild felines. This feline figurine with punctuate designs on the face (possibly representing spots) and an open mouth showing teeth is a relatively naturalistic representation of a large wild cat, possibly representing a leopard or a cheetah. Approximate dimensions (W x H(L) x D): 4.6 x 11.5 x 6.2 cm. Photograph by Richard H. Meadow. For another feline face, see also Ritual Mask or Amulet. >

1. The Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro, looking north. The side walls of the roughly 12 by 7 meter tank were constructed with finely fitted bricks and a thick layer of bitumen (natural tar) was laid along the sides of the tank to keep water from seeping through the walls and up into the superstructure. 2.Lower ledge inside the Great Bath, southern edge, looking east. At the foot of the stairs is a small ledge with a brick edging that extends the entire width of the pool. People coming down the stairs could move along this ledge without actually stepping into the pool itself. Small sockets at th… >

One of the finest ancient Indus painted jars ever found, excavated at Chanhu-daro during the 1935-36 season led by Ernest MacKay. JM Kenoyer describes it as a "large storage jar with red slip and black painted motifs, including peacocks, vegetation and the famous intersecting-circle design. Such vessels were probably used as marriage gifts or for other ritual occasions, and the motifs undoubtedly represent auspicious blessings on the owner" (Ancient Cities of the Indus Civilization, p. 231). See also Finds and Chanhu-daro. >

The tomb of Baba Noor Shah, whose 9 meter long grave lies on Mound AB. By the entrance are singers, pipal trees and huge ancient Indus ringstones. The 17th century saint is said to have worn them on his toes. See also Harappan Mounds #2. >

"Indus beadmakers have the distinction of producing the longest and most slender beads of carnelian in the world, prior to the advent of diamond drilling," (J.M. Kenoyer). Chanhu-daro has provided the most data about the manufacture of these long carnelian beads, seen here in a necklace or belt from Mohenjo-daro's DK Area. It could take weeks of intense labor to create one bead, some nearly 5 inches long, with much breakage along the way. See also Dorothy Mackay's article Finds at Chanhu-daro. >

Seated faience monkey figurine or amulet from Mohenjo-daro. Its broken feet suggest that it was once attached to another object, possibly a second monkey as in the Triple Monkey Figurine. Molded and carved. See also Monkey Figurine from Harappa >