Exploring  Advanced Craftsmanship in Art of Indus valley civilization

The art of the Indus Valley civilization showcases advanced craftsmanship. Notable artifacts include intricately carved seals, pottery etc. reflecting a sophisticated civilization’s aesthetic and cultural achievements.

Exploring the Art of Indus valley civilization through different kinds of Seals

• Material Used: Archaeologists have unearthed thousands of seals, primarily made of steatite and occasionally of other materials like agate, chert, copper, faience, and terracotta. 
• Depictions on Seals: These seals feature intricate depictions of animals such as the unicorn, bull, rhinoceros, tiger, elephant, bison, goat, and buffalo, showcasing remarkable realism and varied moods. 
• Purpose: Primarily used for commercial purposes, these seals also served as amulets, potentially acting as identity cards for their owners. 

• Dimensional Uniformity: The standard Harappan seal was a 2×2 square-inch plaque made of steatite, engraved with a yet-to-be-deciphered pictographic script. 
• Varied Figures: Some seals, discovered in ivory, exhibit a wide range of motifs, often featuring animals like bulls, elephants, tigers, goats, and monsters, along with trees or human figures. 
• Pashupati Seal: Notably, the Pashupati Seal, depicting a cross-legged human figure surrounded by animals, stands out. 
• Copper Tablets: Featuring animal or human figures on one side and inscriptions on the other (or both sides), have also been found. 
  • Dated between 2500 and 1900 BCE, these tablets, considered amulets, display carefully cut figures and signs associated with the portrayed animals.
  • These seals helps us uncovering the art of Indus valley Civilization

Pottery Evolution in the Indus Valley: Revealing Shapes, Styles, and Artistic Mastery

• Progressive Insight: The extensive pottery findings from excavation sites provide insights into the progressive evolution of design motifs, shapes, and styles in the Art of Indus Valley Civilization. 
  • Predominantly wheelmade, the pottery consists mainly of fine wares, with a minority being handmade. 
• Plain Pottery: More common than painted ware, is typically red clay with or without a fine red or gray slip, featuring knobbed ware adorned with rows of knobs. 
• Black-painted ware involves a red slip base with geometric and animal designs executed in glossy black paint. 
• Polychrome Pottery: Rare and mainly comprising small vases, displays geometric patterns in red, black, green, and occasionally white and yellow. 
  • Incised ware is infrequent, with incised decoration limited to the bases of pans and the dishes of offering stands. 
• Perforated Pottery: Likely used for straining beverages, features a large hole at the bottom and small holes throughout the wall. 
• Household Pottery: Comes in diverse shapes and sizes, favouring graceful curves over straight and angular forms. 
• Notably miniature vessels: often less than half an inch in height, showcase remarkable craftsmanship, evoking admiration.

Beads, Ornaments, and Artistry in the Indus Valley Civilization

• Adornments in Harappa: Harappan men and women adorned themselves with a diverse array of ornaments crafted from materials such as precious metals, gemstones, bone, and baked clay, showcasing the exquisite art of Indus Valley Civilization.
• Ornament Diversity: Both sexes commonly wore necklaces, fillets, armlets, and finger rings, while women additionally adorned girdles, earrings, and anklets. 
• Mohenjo Daro’s Treasures: Discoveries at Mohenjo Daro and Lothal revealed hoards of well-crafted jewellery, including gold and semi-precious stone necklaces, copper bracelets, gold earrings and head ornaments, faience pendants and buttons, and beads made of steatite and gemstones. 
• Ornamented Burials: Notably, a cemetery in Farmana, Haryana, revealed bodies buried with ornaments. 
• Bead Industry: The bead industry, evident in Chanhu Daro and Lothal factories, produced beads from various materials, showcasing technical skill and diverse shapes. 
• Animal Motif Beads: Naturalistic models of animals, especially monkeys and squirrels, served as pinheads and beads. 
• Spindles and Whorls: Spindles and spindle whorls found in Indus Valley houses indicated widespread spinning of cotton and wool. 
• Fashion Consciousness: It was evident in different hairstyles, beard popularity, and the use of cinnabar, face paint, lipstick, and collyrium.
  • Stone structural remains at Dholavira showcased the use of stone in construction. 
• Artistic Brilliance: The skilled artists and craftsmen of the Indus Valley excelled in various crafts, including metal casting, stone carving, pottery making and painting, and terracotta image creation with simplified motifs of animals, plants, and birds.

Conclusion

The Indus Valley Civilisation emerges as a beacon of ancient artistic and technological prowess. From the refined sculptures in stone and bronze, intricate seals revealing commercial and amuletic purposes, to the diverse pottery styles showcasing an evolution of design, the civilization’s artistic legacy is rich and varied.

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