The Indus Terracottas

The terracotta art is depiction of life of the common man expressed by common man. Hitherto neglected and relegated to the status of minor objects in archaeological reports, terracottas could be a powerful mode of cultural reconstruction. A serious attempt has been made in the present volume to have a glimpse of life of man during the Harappan period as revealed through the terracottas. To place the terracottas in their proper perspective the ecological background of the Indus culture has been discussed in an independent chapter, followed by detailed and upto date account of sites at Early/Pre-Harrappan, Mature-Harappan and Late-Harappan levels. The book, thus undertakes to study the Indus culture in a wider frame-work, providing all the information on settlements and their growth pattern during 4th-2nd millennia B.C. in an area expanding over two nations of the Indian sub-continent. The focal theme, however, has never been lost sight of. A large number of terracottas have been brought to light from most of the important excavated Indus sites. The richness is manifested in the numerical profusion, diverse variety as well as beautiful objects of art. Except for the building material, all other objects like figurines, beads, bangles, toys, models of carts, boats, implements like ploughs etc. have been taken into account. The cultural context of terracotta objects, their socio-economic or religious significance to Indus Valley culture has been highlighted. This study, thus provides an invaluable insight into the life during the Indus Valley culture.