Indus valley inspired materials used for school workshops

Indus Valley civilization

Indus valley civilisation
The Indus Valley was a fertile, river civilization that between 3300 – 1900 BC. This period in history is marked by the advancements of the Harappan people in architecture, arts, and literacy.

Pottery:

Pottery served a dual purpose in Harappan Culture. It was used for functional and decorative purposes. They used fine clay with high backing temperature and also introduced “wheel-turned” pottery. When struck, Harappan pottery resonate a metallic sound.

Painted jar
Jar with red slip and black painted motifs including peacock, vegetation and the famous intersecting – circle designs such vessels were probably used as marriage gifts or for other ritual occasions.

Painted Swirling Fish bowl
A decorative Bowl with swirling fish motif arranged in two panels. Water plants fill in the empty spaces and a wavy line around the rim suggest that the whole scene is underwater.

Storage Jar
Storage Jars are wheel turned and molded, probably used to ship oil, grains, and preserved food to markets as far as the Oman highland. Some storage jars are not smooth, but engraved with prefixed scripts or graffiti.

Jewelry:

The Indus people were expert craftsmen. They made beads using various materials such as carnelian, agate, amethyst, turquoise, lapis lazuli, etc. They manufactured bangles out of shells, glazed faience, and terracotta. Also, carved ivory and shells were worked into ornaments, bowls, and ladles as decoration.

Carnalian Beads
long carnalian bi-conical beads were an important part of ornamentation and were were used to make neck pieces or waist belts.
during the process from a nodule to a finished bead, it was heated several times to get the lustrous red colour.The red of thsi bead were considered sacred.
Green bi-conical beads are called moss agate

Toys:
In the Indus Valley, toys often found itself drawing inspiration from real-world applications. Pottery skills were used to make miniaturized carts for children to play with and terra cotta was turned into little puppets. Bullock carts can still be found in parts of South Asia.

Unicorn
Depiction of unicorn in seals and figurines demonstrates the belief of the Indus people in this one- horned animal. This was an important symbol for the elites and traders.

Whistle
Teracotta whistle in the form of a bird.
In the Indus Valley, toys often found itself drawing inspiration from real-world applications. Pottery skills were used to make miniaturized carts for children to play with and terra cotta was turned into little puppets. Bullock carts can still be found in parts of South Asia.

Moveable-head bull
A string attached to the head, hump and tail enables the head to move forward and backward and could have been a course of amusement for Harappan children.

Bird cart
Teracotta painted bird cart

Bird puppet
Birds were an important source of inspiration for the children. Puppets made in terracotta were found extensively. They were often decorated with colourful patterns and motifs

Mother Goddess:

Was the Mother Goddess a central deity of worship for fertility or a simple child’s toy? To this day, experts cannot ascertain the actual purpose of the Mother Goddess figure, but they can state that the Goddess played a significant role in Harappa daily life.

Textile:
Ajrak is a kind of resist printing on cotton using wooden blocks. The history of Ajrak can be traced back to the time of Indus River Civilization. From dyes found during archaeological excavations, it can be concluded that the Indus Valley people bleached white or colored garments with locally available dyes, such as indigo (blue), madder (red), turmeric (yellow), or onion/skin (brown).