National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

> > > >
Color New!IIIF Color HighRes Gray HighRes PDF   Japanese English
0490 Innermost Asia : vol.2
Innermost Asia : vol.2 / Page 490 (Color Image)

New!Citation Information

doi: 10.20676/00000187
Citation Format: Chicago | APA | Harvard | IEEE

OCR Text

 

958   IN THE DESERT DELTA OF SISTAN   [Chap. XXX

is hatched to bring the leaf away. The zone is bounded by similar keel-shaped raised bands (Machi. oxo-z, PI. CXIII).

There are variations in both A and B pattern which will be noted in detailing individual fragments.

C. Animal forms. These are restricted to three examples. One shows what seems meant for a snake, placed in vertical undulations on the side of a nearly straight-sided vessel (S.S. 05, Pl. CXIV). Another shows the head and neck of a goat in silhouette (K.G. 07. a). A third shows a bold drawing of an ibex (R.R. III. ozo, Pl. CXIV). This last is of a different type from any of the others and is probably an importation.

The forms of vessel recognizable are :

Wide-mouthed bowl with flat base (K.G. oz. a, 12o, PI. cxlv).

Narrow-mouthed pot, ` echinus '-shaped with slightly everted lip and flat base (R.R. III.013, Pl. CXIV).

Small jar with fig-shaped body narrow end downwards, cut off flat to form typical small base. Lip slightly everted (R.R. III. ox6, Pi. CXIV).

Beaker with typical small base from which the sides rise in inverted conical form. This merges into a swelling curve to the widest part, then leans very slightly inward until near the mouth, where it leans slightly outward (Md. (R.R.) u. 037, Pl. cxlv).

Tubular jar with sides sloping gently inward as they rise, and slightly curving under to relatively broad base (Md. III. oz, Pl. CXIV).

Tall pear-shaped jar, broad end downward, flowing into a concave curve to typical narrow base. Upper end (broken away) shows beginning of an outward flow. The stem-like lower part is solid (Md. (R.R.) II. 027 ; S.S. 0121, Pl. CXIV).

Flat ` echinus '-shaped bowl with simple incurved wide mouth and short solid stem, carelessly and obliquely cut off to form base (K.G. o28-9, Pl. CXIV).

Of doubtful shapes a few pieces suggest probable forms, such as curved and straight-sided wide-mouthed bowls (R.R. VIII. or 1 ; S.S. or, 3, Pl. CXIII) ; jars with tall sloping sides and recurved lips (S.S. 05, Pl. CXIV) ; saucer-shaped dishes (S.S. 015, Pl. CXIII) ; globular jars with narrow mouth and recurved lip (K.G. 0131 ; Md. ni. 04 ; R.R. %VII. o8, Pl. CXIII).

All the forms detailed above are found in Group I. The fragments of Group III seem to belong almost exclusively to the wide-mouthed bowl or saucer type of vessel, the only obvious exception being part of the side wall of a flattened globular pot (Md. III. 04, Pl. CXIII).

There are no indications in any group of handles, lugs, or spouts, nor are any fragments of such parts present. All the pottery seems to be wheel-made.

Later Pottery.

Later pottery, that is, pottery which belongs to historic times, comprises fragments of both unglazed and glazed ware, with the following subdivisions :

Unglazed : Plain, ribbed, incised and ornamented in relief. Glazed : Plain, incised, relief, painted. The character of the body material is very varied, ranging from a buff sandy

clay to a fine quality stoneware approaching porcelain in texture. Most of the fragments are of various shades of red, some being quite fine. A rich red-burning clay is frequently wiped over the surface in a thin coat, and in a few examples there are evidences of attempts at burnishing.

In the unglazed class one of the most frequent treatments is to break up the surface into more or less regular horizontal ribbing and channelling (Gha. 02, 07-8 ; Shahr. 07, 045 ; B.-i-A. oz ; K.G. 024, 223, Pl. CXV). This appears to have extended over the entire body, dying away on the shoulder where a band of ornament sometimes marks the junction of shoulder and neck (Shahr. 07, Pl. CXV). An occasional treatment is the burnishing of groups of thin annular lines to relieve an otherwise unbroken surface (Gha. corn +I2, Pl. CXV).

Incised ornament includes a wide range of treatment. Patterns may be impressed by means of a stamp or built up by incisions of a simple unit, or drawn with a single or multiple-pointed tool. A characteristic stamp is the leaf pattern (Shahr. 02, 7, 3o, Pl. CXV). The leaf is a single stamp which is repeated 'usually in a singe row or in imbricated order (Shahr. 023, Pl. CXV). The character of leaf varies, being sometimes pointed and smooth-edged (Shahr. o3o, Pl. CXV), or serrated with different forms of teeth. It is generally used with the ribbed treatment, to decorate the root of the neck of a vessel. A simple triangular point is effectively used to build up patterns by repetition (Shahr. 09, 14, Pl. CxV). A small ring punch is also used in the same way (Shahr. 033 ; A. 026 ; Akh. 014, Pl. CXV). In pottery of Muhammadan times elaborate arabesques are built up from units (K.G. 091, Pl. CXV) or are stamped complete from a single die.

Patterns incised with a single point are few and elementary, but sometimes evidence considerable judgement (Shahr. 014, 36 ; R.R. or, Pl. CXV). The multiple-point tool and comb afford plenty of scope for rich effects without much effort. Zigzags, festoons, triglyphs, &c., are freely used, and several of the patterns recall the painted ornaments of the chalcolithic period (Shahr. 017, 37, 41 ; Gh. Ta. 04, 5 ; B.-i-A. 02, Pl. Cxv).

Patterns in relief occur occasionally, and are usually raised fillets or bands variously moulded or incised (Shahr. 03, 8, II, 32, 33, Pl. CXV). Sometimes a floral boss is used (Gh. Ta. o8, Pl. Cxv).

The glazed pottery comprises the following varieties : turquoise glaze on coarse body with painted patterns in grey or black (B. 018 ; B.-i-A. 03, 5, 7, 23, Pl. CXVII ; Muj. or ; Gha. ii. or ; Sal. 014 ; Surhdik. 02, 4 ; Pusht. 07 ; Machi. o86 ; K.G. 0144, 146, 249, 25o, 260, 264, Pl. CXVIII). The glaze varies in richness of colour from very pale to a fine deep tone. It is generally flaking away from body. The painted patterns are largely composed of freely drawn spiral curves. A variation of this type has touches of cobalt blue added to the pattern (Khu. o44 ; B: i-A. o8, 9, 25 ; B. 02, 14, Pl. CXVII ; K.G. 083, 246, Pl. CXVIII).

Another variety is glazed white with arabesque patterns outlined with black, enriched with cobalt blue bands and washes of grey and sometimes copper green (K.G. 084, 86,