Large Indus Valley Decorated Vessel

$5,051.84

A large, cream pottery storage jar with slightly everted rim. It features two straight bands in relief around the neck, and a further wavy band in more pronounced relief below. The jar is profusely decorated in dark umber with buffalo, antelope, and birds, all of which are interspersed with plants, symbols and geometric designs. The lower part of the jar is plain, and stands on a broad, flat base.

Date: Circa 2600 - 2000 BC
Period: Early - Middle Bronze Age
Condition: Very fine condition, complete and intact with light earthy accretions in places.

SOLD

The Indus Valley Civilisation extended from what today is north east Afghanistan to Pakistan and north west India. It was one of three early and widespread cradles of civilisation along with Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Aridification of the region during the 3rd millennium BCE may have been the initial spur for the urbanisation associated with the civilisation, but it eventually reduced the water supply to such an extent as to cause the civilisation’s demise, and to scatter its population eastward. At its peak, the Indus Valley Civilisation, which included such sites as Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, may have had a population of over five million. They developed new techniques in pottery, seal carving, and metallurgy.

Weight 5200 g
Dimensions H 29.6 cm
Culture

Region

Pottery and Porcelain