After many decades of research, the Indus Civilization is still something of an enigma -- an ancient civilization with a writing system that still awaits convincing decipherment, monumental…

Terracotta figurines have long been considered toys, often without question.

The earliest anthropomorphic figurines from Harappa thus far are from the Early Harappan (Ravi Phase, Period 1, and Kot Diji Phase, Period 2) levels.

Another style of Early Harappan female figurine holds a round object, possibly a vessel, with both hands at the waist above a flaring lower body which ends in a (broken) forward-extending base.

At the peak of the Indus Civilization or the Harappan Period (Period 3), the most common dress for female figurines was the belt and/or short skirt usually situated at the same point on the hips as…

Many of the fan-shaped headdresses were painted black.

Some of the female figurines are very ornate with elaborate headdresses, chokers and/or necklaces, and decorated multiple-strand belts.

A few female figurines from Harappa have a sort of "tiara" attached to the front of the fan-shaped headdress.

Approximate dimensions (W x H x D): 6.0 x 8.7 x 3.9 cm.

Other female figurines have a double volute headdress that is usually decorated and sometimes painted black as well.

The "cones" that often decorate figurine headdresses may be reproductions of the small gold cones that have been found at Indus Civilization sites.

In addition to headdresses and hair decorations, loose hair is sometimes depicted on figurines. A few figurines have painted black hair extending from the back of the head to below the shoulders. …

Other figurines have loose hair arranged in "ringlets" or separate locks made of terracotta, possibly representing a wig.

Approximate dimensions (W x H x D): 4.0 x 9.1 x 2.9 cm.

The hair of female figurines is sometimes bound up in a sort of "turban".

Approximate dimensions (W x H x D): 3.6 x 9.5 x 2.8 cm.

Both male and female figurines may have hair swept around the top of the head, to the side, or to the front.

One of the largest female figurines found at Harappa has a (badly broken) fan-shaped pannier headdress with black residue in the cups of the panniers and a forward-projecting face.

Some of the ornaments on female figurines were accentuated with white and/or black pigment, and some ornaments were completely rendered in pigment.

The multiple-strand belt on some of the female figurines is often accompanied by a plain short "skirt". The applied decorations on the belt may represent beads or other decorations.

Although most Indus Civilization female figurines are quite curvaceous, some "fat" female figurines are also found. These are often hollow, but sometimes solid.

The infants being nursed by female figurines are usually very schematically represented by a bent and pinched roll of clay with or without applied eyes.

The female figurine usually holds the infant's head to her breast with one or both arms encircling the infant.

Approximate dimensions (W x H x D): 3.2 x 8.4 x 1.9 cm.

Male figurines may be distinguished by genitalia and/or small flat nipples. A few male figurines wear chokers with pendants very similar to those worn by females.

Other male figurines stand with their hands on their hips and their legs pressed together, a common posture for female figurines.

Approximate dimensions (W x H x D): 4.0 x 9.7 x 2.8 cm.

A few male figurines demonstrate unusual postures such as one with one leg extended forward and the other extended behind.

Most male figurines from Harappa sit with knees bent and arms at the sides of the legs or around the knees.

Seated male figurines may have their knees drawn up tightly to their chests. While some have facial features and headbands and/or hair, many have featureless faces and no ornamentation.

Another type of male figurine sits with legs extended straight in front of the body and arms raised in front of the chest with hands clasped together, probably a posture of devotion or prayer.

In addition to different postures, male figurines also exhibit a variety of hairstyles. Both male and female figurines may have hair swept around the top of the head, to the side or to the front. A…

The hair of male figurines is sometimes bound into a sort of folded bun or mounded on top of the head and secured by a headband or a fillet.

Most male figurines from Harappa do not wear headdresses.

Male figurines are sometimes also identified by secondary sex characteristics such as beards. Occasionally, male figurines wear a headdress with two upward and/or outward projections like horns…

A few figurines are not clearly male or female, or even anthropomorphic or animal. One unusual recently discovered figurine has no clear sex characteristics.

The earliest animal figurines from Harappa are Early Harappan (Ravi Phase, Period 1 and Kot Diji Phase, Period 2) zebu figurines. They are typically very small with joined legs and stylized humps. A…

Some of the Early Harappan zebu figurines were decorated. One example has incised oval spots.

Other animal and sometimes anthropomorphic figurines are decorated with black stripes and other patterns, and features such as eyes are also sometimes rendered in pigment.

Painted designs on figurines occasionally reached the level of those often found on Harappan pottery, especially in the later periods.

Water buffalo are often similar to figurines of humpless cattle, except that the water buffalo figurines usually have large (and sometimes incised) backswept horns.

Some quadruped figurines are difficult to classify because the general form and many of the attributes of humpless cattle, water buffalo, and even rams may be very similar.

Ram figurines are identified by their large curled horns. Some have incised horns and/or muzzles like the water buffalo figurines and are only distinguished by the curvature of the horns.

The ram figurines are also sometimes decorated with black stripes and patterns. Some may be painted black. Occasionally, incised "wool" is depicted on the bodies of sheep figurines.

In addition to domestic animals, wild animals such as the markhor (wild goat) are represented in the corpus of Indus figurines.

Other depictions of wild animals include deer figurines with pronged antlers. Deer bones found at Harappa may indicate that deer were hunted.

Larger wild animals such as the rhinoceros with its distinctive "horned" snout are also represented.

Although it was surely a wild animal, some of the rhinoceros figurines wear collars.

It is unknown whether elephants were domesticated in the Indus Civilization.

Another elephant figurine has an undecorated head with two flat ears and a trunk (all broken) on a round hollow body.

Approximate dimensions (W x H(L) x D): 4.5 x 7.1 x 7.1 cm.

Among the dangerous wild animals represented in the figurine corpus are large wild felines.

Many of the feline figurines are depicted with collars around their necks (as with the rhinoceros).

Other feline figurines with large round ears and beards may represent tigers or lions. They are often depicted either standing or lying down with their legs extended to one side.

It has been suggested that some feline figurines have anthropomorphic facial features.

The Asiatic bear with its large round ears and elongated snout sometimes sits with its front paws on its rear legs, the same posture that is depicted in some figurines.

Monkeys are also still found in South Asia, both in the wild and as pets.

Some animal figurines with long ears, especially those with the ears laid back against round hollow bodies, have been identified as hares.

Several turtle figurines have been found at Harappa, some with few defined features and others with clearly delineated shells and other features.

Another aquatic creature represented in the figurine corpus of Harappa is the fish, which has applied fins, incised gills, and a vertical hole through the center of its body.

Some texts from ancient Mesopotamia mention imports received from the land of "Meluhha", widely considered a reference to the Indus Civilization.

The somewhat schematic "begging dog" figurine on a circular base holds its front paws in front of its body, a posture that is commonly associated with dogs.

Dogs are also depicted in playful postures, such as one small dog that seems to be crouching with its tail curving up and onto its back.

Although many animal figurines have identifiable traits (e. g., the applied "hide" and horn typical of a rhinoceros figurine), some figurines are not readily identifiable.

Several types of birds are represented in figurines. Bird figurines with long tapered tails probably represent parakeets.

A circular terracotta platform or container with many small lozenges, possibly representing grain, between the flattened broken feet of two birds perched on opposite sides of the container provides…

Many bird figurines have circular bases instead of legs and feet. Some have outstretched wings and may represent birds in flight.

Other bird figurines have no wings depicted at all and either stand on a circular base or on two legs that were inserted into the base of the body (only holes remain).

Some terracotta figurines such as the unusual ithyphallic pot-bellied animal figurines with tails and holes through the shoulders for movable arms were probably used as toys or puppets.

Another figurine that may have been used as a toy is the quadruped, probably a bovine, with a movable head and tail.

The movable heads of figurines often depict cattle.

A different style of quadruped body has a vertical neck shaft for attaching and possibly changing the (separate) head.

Some movable figurine heads are pierced in other places, such as through the horns on either side of the head.

Approximate dimensions (W x H(L) x D): 7.2 x 9.4 x 3.0 cm.

A small subset of the figurines from Harappa originally had wheels. Of the many small terracotta wheels found at Harappa, at least some must have been intended for these wheeled objects.

One type of wheeled figurine has lateral holes for the axles through the ends of the legs.

Approximate dimensions (W x H(L) x D): 3.6 x 11.0 x 7.5 cm.

Loosely included under the rubric of terracotta "figurines" are the terracotta masks found at some Harappan sites.

The appropriation of animal attributes can be accomplished through such paraphernalia as masks/amulets and other objects that can be attached to a costume.

Whether or not the masks/amulets and attachable water buffalo horns were used in magic or other rituals, unusual and composite animals and anthropomorphic/animal beings were clearly a part of Indus…