Pottery and Ceramics

Pottery is the most abundant class of material recovered from nearly every excavation in the corpus and is addressed both through dedicated ceramic studies and incidentally in excavation reports. The IJA’s ceramic coverage encompasses the full sequence from Neolithic handmade wares through OCP, Chalcolithic, Black-and-Red Ware, NBPW, PGW, and medieval ceramics, with dedicated studies on specific assemblages from major excavations.

Key Pottery Traditions in the Corpus

Neolithic

• Handmade red ware from Hetapatti (layers 21–24): coarse, thick-walled, associated with animal bones and charcoal
• Neolithic pottery from Kashmir valley (Gufkral, Hariparigam, Pethpuranteng, Qasimbagh): FT-IR spectroscopic analysis reveals firing temperatures and mineral composition

OCP (Ochre Colour Pottery)

• Characteristic ochre-buff, often heavily tempered ware; burnished variant at Barood Khera (Aligarh)
• Pottery drawings from Aligarh and Hathras districts (Vol 6, No. 2) document the full typological range

Chalcolithic

• Eran (Central India): typical Chalcolithic wares with parallels to Malwa and Jorwe traditions
• Subulia (Odisha): Black-and-Red Ware dominant
• Ganeshwar (Rajasthan): Chalcolithic assemblage with copper connections

Harappan

• Alamgirpur: Mature Harappan (2600–2200 B.C.) → Late Harappan → PGW sequence documented in detail

NBPW (Northern Black Polished Ware)

• Present at Hetapatti, Naimisharanya, Tokwa, Nindaur, and most Gangetic sites
• Associated with the early historic (Magadha–Mauryan) period

PGW (Painted Grey Ware)

• Documented at Alamgirpur and Balu (Kaithal, Haryana)

Iron Age (Vidarbha / South India)

• Black-and-Red Ware in megalithic contexts throughout

Medieval

• Lakhori bricks and associated medieval wares at Hetapatti

Key Sites for Ceramic Studies

• Alamgirpur (District Meerut, U.P.) - most complete ceramic sequence in the corpus: Mature Harappan → Late Harappan → PGW → Early Historical → Late Medieval
• Eran (District Sagar, M.P.) - detailed Chalcolithic ceramic report
• Ganeshwar (Sikar, Rajasthan) - pre-Harappan / Chalcolithic ceramic assemblage with copper connections
• OCP sites in Aligarh and Hathras - comprehensive drawings catalogue published in Vol 6, No. 2
• Budhigarh (District Kalahandi, Odisha) - typological and chronological ceramic study of the Tel river valley
• Sundar River Valley, Odisha - typo-technological analysis across multiple sites
• Kashmir valley Neolithic sites - spectroscopic firing analysis

Key Findings

1. OCP typological corpus: The drawings publication (Vol 6, No. 2) provides the most systematic visual catalogue of OCP pottery types from Aligarh and Hathras, establishing a benchmark for field identification.
2. Alamgirpur ceramic sequence (Vol 8, No. 2): The site’s ceramic assemblage confirms 2600–2200 B.C. for Mature Harappan levels and documents the transition to Late Harappan and then PGW, providing a continuous bridge sequence from the Harappan world to the Gangetic historical period.
3. FT-IR analysis of Neolithic pottery (Vol 9, No. 4): First spectroscopic study of Neolithic Kashmir ceramics in the corpus; determines firing technology, mineral composition, and raw material sources, contributing to understanding of early pyrotechnology in the Himalayan foothills.
4. Ethno-archaeology of potters (Vol 7, No. 3): The living pottery tradition of Kuhibahal village, Subarnapur, Odisha is documented as a direct survivor of ancient ceramic traditions, providing a baseline for interpreting archaeological assemblages.
5. Budhigarh typological study (Vol 7, No. 3): Establishes a ceramic typology and relative chronology for the Tel river valley region of Kalahandi, contributing to the understanding of Odisha’s ceramic sequence outside the Mahanadi valley.

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