Northern Black Polished Ware

Map of some NBPW sites.

The Northern Black Polished Ware culture (abbreviated NBPW or NBP) is an urban Iron Age Indian culture of the Indian subcontinent, lasting c. 700–200 BCE (proto NBPW between 1200 and 700 BCE),[1] succeeding the Painted Grey Ware culture and Black and red ware culture. It developed beginning around 700 BCE, in the late Vedic period, and peaked from c. 500–300 BCE, coinciding with the emergence of 16 great states or Mahajanapadas in Northern India, and the subsequent rise of the Mauryan Empire.

Recent archaeological evidences have pushed back NBPW date to 1200 BCE at Nalanda district, in Bihar, where its earliest occurrences have been recorded and carbon dated from the site of Juafardih.[2] Similarly sites at Akra and Ter Kala Dheri from Bannu have provided carbon dating of 900-790 BCE and 1000-400 BCE,[3] and at Ayodhya around 13th century BC or 1000 BCE.[4][5][6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Strickland, K. M. was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Tewari, Rakesh, (2016). "Excavation at Juafardih, District Nalanda (Bihar)", in Indian Archaeology 2006-07 - A Review, Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi, pp. 6-8: "... Layer 13, the uppermost deposit of Period I, has provided a C14 date of 1354 BCE, it may thus be seen that the C14 dates of Period I and II are consistent and justifiably indicate that the conventional date bracket for NBPW requires a fresh review at least for the sites in Magadh region..."
  3. ^ Ahmed, Mukhtar (2014). Ancient Pakistan - An Archaeological History: Volume V: The End of the Harappan Civilization, and the Aftermath. Amazon. p. 127: "...recent excavation in the Bannu district at the sites of Akra (900-790 BCE) and Ter Kala Dheri (1000-400 BCE) have provided radiocarbon dates which would push the chronology of NBP at Charsadda and Taxila to as early as 900 BCE...". ISBN 978-1499709827.
  4. ^ Kumar, K., (2005). "Archaeology of the Ramayana Sites: A Review of the Problem in the Light of Recent Excavations at Ayodhya", in Pragdhara 15, pp. 264-265.
  5. ^ Shanker Singh, Anand (20 Nov 2017). "The Chronology of Northern Black Polished Ware : Recent Perspectives". International Journal of Scientific Research in Science, Engineering and Technology IJSRST. 3: 1488-1492: "...The emergent picture is that the beginning of NBPW could safely be pushed to circa 700 BCE, if not earlier (Ayodhya 1003 BCE & Juafardih 1200 BCE) and therefore, the NBPW period ranges from 700 BCE to 50 BCE...".
  6. ^ Danino, Michel. "A Timeline of Ayodhya". pp. 2-6 (Period I: Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) c.&thinsp, 1300 BC - 300 BC Period I: The Human activity at the [Ram Janambhumi - Babri Masjid] dates back to the circa: thirteenth century B.C. on the basis of the scientific dating method providing the only archaeological evidence for such an early dating of the human occupation at the site (Sharma 2011:48). People using Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) a pottery type generally associated with the urbanization of the ganges plains were the first occupants of the site at Ayodhya).

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