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

A characteristic feature of the glazed graffito pottery of Tīz, as illustrated in
Pl. IV, is the great range of colouring in the glaze, varying in the same piece
from pale straw and yellow to brown, green, pink, or crimson, always with a
mottled and patchy appearance. Side by side with this style we find a somewhat
different and bolder decoration of glazed pottery attested by pieces from Tīz
III, like 186, 188 A, 196–201, 274, &c. (Pl. IV). In this the fine incised designs
are replaced by broad strokes. Another type illustrated by III. 242 shows dots
and bands painted on with a light coloured slip. The relief decoration of un-
painted pottery, of which Pl. V shows a specimen in Tīz surf. 136, was mostly
produced from moulds and, as finds of moulds (Tīz III. surf. 142; II. vi. 84)
show, done locally. The rarity of pottery distinctly indicating Chinese origin
suggests that the port of Tīz had ceased to be much frequented by maritime
trade before the import of Chinese porcelain into Persia was fully developed in
Mongol times. Stone beads of manifold material and shape are found plentifully
over the whole site. A collection of them was acquired and awaits expert
examination.

However this may be, it is clear that a place situated like Tīz far away from
any considerable area of agricultural or industrial resources could not have
supported the fairly large population which the remains examined indicate,
had it not been for the advantages which its port offered for sea intercourse
between the Persian Gulf and the coast of India and the Far East. The south-
west monsoon must always have interposed a very serious obstacle to that inter-
course during a considerable portion of the year. Tīz lying just to the west of
that stretch of the Makrān coast which the monsoon strikes with full force,
would offer then the last safe harbour for ships seeking India from the side of
the Gulf. It would provide shelter also for shipping on the opposite course when
held up from approach to the mouth of the Gulf by the violent winds which at
other seasons often blow from the north-west and north. Hence it may well be
believed that at a certain period in early medieval times Tīz was used as a port
for convenient trade exchange between the south of Persia and India. The
possibility of its having served as the port for some caravan traffic passing from
Sīstān and Khorāsān to the sea through Bampūr should also not be ignored.

We have probably a classical mention of Tīz in Τεῖσα, a locality which Pto-
lemy's Geography places on the Gedrosian coast to the west of Κύιζα and beyond
the cape of Βαγεῖα.⁴ Nearcho's account of the voyage of Alexander's fleet, as
reproduced in Arrian's Indiké, XXIX. 1, also refers to the last two localities in
the same order from east to west, and places the good harbour of Talmena
(Τάλμενα) beyond Bageia. In view of the identical location in the two notices,