| Abstract: | Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) was expensive, and so-named because it is black in appearance, has a polished surface, and was formerly discovered in north India only (it is now found beyond this region). It was obtained from several sites, including excavated sites in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and the north-west (Taxila). The life of NBPW is indicated -- on the basis of punchmarked, early uninscribed, and Alexandrian coins on the same excavation levels -- to have been between 700-200 BCE in the Gangetic Valley, and upto 50 BCE in the peripheral regions. It was manufactured mainly in the Gangetic Valley with its focus in ancient Magadha, but UjJaina and Maheshwar (in central India) may also have been centres. NBPW has utilitarian shapes (bowls, dishes, lids, handis, and jars) but was sparingly used. A list of NBPW sites is given at the end of the article. Source of Abstract: Provided by Publisher |
