62 OLD SITES IN THE SALT RANGE AND SHAHPUR DISTRICT [Chap. II
plateau near the south-western end of the mound. Several among them showed the respectable dimensions of 15 x 10 x 3- inches.
Numerous pieces picked up among the potsherds, which thickly cover the mound, showed moulded decoration with small lozenges, rows of wave lines and similar simple patterns (S.P. 5, 9, 15, 23; Pl. I) . The pearl border ornament with raised bosses is seen in S.P. 21. That occupation here dated well back into Hindu times is proved by the moulded fragment of fine dark-grey ware (S.P. 20; Pl. I) found on the top. It shows below a band of raised circlets the figure of a dancing female holding some object in her raised left hand. The heavy hair dress is thrown back. The design suggests a style somewhat later than that of the Gupta period. A silver coin of Samantadeva brought from this mound and shown to me at Bhéra together with other indications suggested that the site was occupied down to the period of the Hindu Shahiyas. In consequence apparently of a treasure trove made here some years ago, the Sabzpind mound has been declared a `Protected Monument'.
A large mound near the village of Hathipind, some 7 miles due south of Bhéra, was visited on the following day, but proved less interesting. It stretches for some 340 yards from east to west and throws out an arm of equal length to the north-east, a portion of it being occupied by dwellings. What relief-decorated potsherds could be picked up showed only coarse patterns of cable scrolls, lozenge diapers, and the like. On the comparatively rare painted pieces the designs, black on red, were of the simplest (for specimens see Hathi. 1, 4, 10, 13; Pl. I) . The mound, which rises to about 23 feet where highest, may not date back farther than medieval times.
On December 14th we moved our base from Bhéra to Shahpur, the former head-quarters of the district to which it has given its name. Two small mounds were examined near the villages of Nabi Shah and Dhal, both situated on the main road about 62 and 9 miles, respectively, from Bhéra. Among the potsherds found in plenty on these mounds, painted and relief-decorated pieces (Nab. 6; Dhal. 1, 8, 9, 13, 16, 19, 20; Pl. I, II) were numerous. They show a variety of patterns closely resembling those seen on the corresponding ware from the `Ails' of Rakh Chiragha. On the other hand, pottery of this type or else bearing stamped designs was conspicuously absent on the extensive mound, more than 350 yards in diameter, which we subsequently inspected in a scrub- and tree-covered area known as Chak Mubara, situated to the south-east of Nûrpur village, off the main road some 12 miles to the south-west of Bhéra. The site is locally known to have been sacked in the course of an Afghan invasion during the reign of the Emperor Muhammad Shah in the early part of the eighteenth century, and to have since been abandoned to the jungle. Hence the rarity of relief-decorated
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