108 IN THE BAMPUR BASIN [Chap. IV
fragments of fine, thin grey ware, and plenty of red pottery bearing painted decoration in black of a characteristic chalcolithic type. Apart from purely geometric motifs, such as rows of triangles, chequers, and miscellaneous hachured shapes (Pl. VIII, IX), numerous specimens showed rows of horned animals highly stylized but obviously derived from those mountain sheep ( Ibex) which are to be seen in naturalistic representations on the painted pottery found in the lower strata. The pieces A. 298, 300, 301, 304 (Pl. VII) well illustrate the gradual transformation of the conventionalized animals into mere decorative design. Plates XXI, XXII, XXVII—XXIX of my Archaeological Tour in Gedrosia show how common such rows of freely treated mountain sheep are on the painted pottery of certain chalcolithic sites in British Makrân. From the same layer came the terra-cotta figurine of a bull's head, 19, and a horizontally fluted tubular object of stone spreading out into a bowl-shaped head with a stone marble, A. 311 a, b (Pl. X ), just fitting the bowl; together they may possibly have served as a toy. The occurrence of highly polished plain ware with burnished lines, A. 240, 303, is of interest. The fragments of perforated pottery such as were found both in this layer and lower down (c. 317; Pl. IX) were frequent also at chalcolithic sites in British Makrân.2
The layer comprising the levels from about 3 to 5 feet above the ground proved particularly rich in ceramic and other remains of interest. Plates VII, VIII, and IX show the great variety of designs painted in black mostly over a red or grey ground.2a Along with numerous representations of that favourite motif, the mountain goat, whether treated in conventionalized or more naturalistic fashion, A. 72-5, 336-42, 345, c. 71, 76 (Pl. VII), we have also a realistic drawing of it in A. 333 (Pl. IX) . `Feathered' trees, such as are often represented on the painted pottery of chalcolithic sites in British Makrân (Kulli, Mehl, Mindara) appear frequently, as in 87, 133, 383, 380 (Pl. IX), combined with geometrical patterns. The latter in the shape of chequers, lozenges, triangles, &c., are seen alone in 67, 91, 313, 326, 405 (Pl. IX) . We find foliate shapes, either detached as in 77, 352 (Pl. IX ), or else combined into garland-like ornament (134, 351, Pls. VIII, IX). Zigzag or scrabbled lines, either horizontal or aslant, are inserted between broad bands (A. 78, Pl. VIII; 355, 358, Pl. IX) . Numerous little cups and jars, like A. 61, 160 (Pl. XIV) , show the small bases characteristic of such vessels from chalcolithic sites of Baltichistân and Makrân. A large jar, A. 162 (Pl. XIV), is decorated with a raised wavy band of black and small painted figures of mountain sheep in the hollows.
A new type of ceramic ware first presented itself in this stratum in the shape of a small jar, A. 161 (Pl. VI), and fragments of a hard dark-grey material,
2 Cf. Tour in Gedrosia, p. iso, Pl. XXV. 2a For shapes of vessels see Pl. XXXI, 7-8, 15-18.
IIIF Color HighRes
