Black and red ware
Also called: BRW · Topic: Prehistory: Human Origins and Stone Age Cultures · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Black and red ware (BRW) is pottery that is black inside and on the rim but red outside. It was made by inverted firing: the pot was fired upside down. The inside and rim got less air, so they turned black. The outside got more air and turned red. BRW is found over a very long period, at Chalcolithic, megalithic (big-stone burial) and early historic sites across India. This makes it useful for linking cultures and regions.
Example
The Chalcolithic Ahar-Banas culture of Rajasthan made BRW painted with white designs. In south India, BRW pots were often placed in megalithic graves as goods buried with the dead.
Don't confuse with
- Painted Grey Ware (PGW): grey pottery with black painted designs. It belongs to the Ganga plains and is linked with the later Vedic period.
- Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW): a shiny, glossy black ware of the period of the Mahajanapadas and the Mauryas. It is not two-coloured.