Faience
Topic: Harappan (Sindhu-Sarasvati) Civilisation · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 1 "Bricks, Beads and Bones"
Meaning
Faience is a man-made material. It is made by mixing ground sand or silica with colour and gum, then firing it. The Harappans used it for beads, bangles, earrings and small pots. Because it needed a complex technique, faience objects count as luxuries. A luxury is a rare or costly item, unlike everyday goods.
Example
Tiny faience pots, perhaps used as perfume bottles, have been found mostly at the big cities of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa. They are absent from small settlements like Kalibangan in Rajasthan. This pattern helps archaeologists track social difference in the Harappan world.
Don't confuse with
- Terracotta: simple baked clay used for everyday items and toys. Faience is a fired silica paste that is harder to make and was treated as a luxury.
Related concepts
- Chanhudaro
- Harappan bead-making
- Carnelian
- Carnelian beads
- Steatite
- Lapis lazuli
- Shortughai
- Khetri copper region
- Harappan bronze
- Daimabad bronzes