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{{HistoryOfSouthAsia}}
{{Infobox archaeological culture
|name = Ochre Coloured Pottery culture
|map = File:Ochre Coloured Pottery sites map 1.svg
|mapcaption = Ochre Coloured Pottery finds ( c.2600 - 1200 BCE )
|mapalt =
|altnames =
|horizon =
|region = [[North India]]
|period = [[Bronze Age]]
|dates = c. 2000–1500 BCE
|typesite =
|majorsites = [[Sinauli excavation site|Sinauli]] [[Kausambi]] [[Hastinapur]] [[Ahichchhatra]] [[Hulas]] [[Red fort]] [[Jhinjhana]] [[Katpalon]] [[Bisauli]] [[Fatehgarh]] [[Bahadrabad]] [[Bargaon (archaeological site)|Bargaon]]
|extra = Extensive copper metallurgy Burials with pots and copper weapons
|precededby = [[Neolithic]]
|followedby = [[Black and red ware]] [[Painted Grey Ware culture]]
}}
The '''Ochre Coloured Pottery culture''' (OCP) is a [[Bronze Age]] culture of the [[Indo-Gangetic Plain]] "generally dated 2000-1500 BCE,"<ref name="Benedetti">{{Cite web |last=Benedetti |first=Giacomo |title=The Chronology of Puranic Kings and Rigvedic Rishis in Comparison with the Phases of the Sindhu–Sarasvati Civilization |url=https://www.academia.edu/7683313/The_Chronology_of_Puranic_Kings_and_Rigvedic_Rishis_in_Comparison_with_the_Phases_of_the_Sindhu_Sarasvati_Civilization |language=en |p=224}}</ref><ref>Civilsdaily, (August 15, 2017). [https://www.civilsdaily.com/pottery-evolution-and-significance/ "Case study | Pottery – Evolution and significance".]</ref> extending from [[Punjab, India|eastern Punjab]] to northeastern [[Rajasthan]] and [[western Uttar Pradesh]].{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=216}}{{sfn|Kumar|2017|pp=83–85}}

Artefacts of this culture show similarities with both the Late Harappan culture and the Vedic culture.{{sfn|Gupta|Mani|2017}}{{sfn|Parpola|2020}} Archaeologist Akinori Uesugi considers it as an archaeological continuity of the previous Harappan Bara style,<ref name="Uesugi"/> while according to Parpola, the find of carts in this culture may reflect an [[Proto-Indo-Iranian language|Indo-Iranian migration]] into the India subcontinent, in contact with Late Harappans.{{sfn|Parpola|2020}} The OCP marked the last stage of the North Indian Bronze Age and was succeeded by the [[Iron Age]] [[black and red ware culture]] and the [[Painted Grey Ware culture]].

==Geography and dating==
[[File:Indus Valley Civilization, Late Phase (1900-1300 BCE).svg|thumb|Ochre Coloured Pottery culture during Indus Valley Civilization, Late Phase (1900-1300 BCE)]]
The 'Ochre Coloured Pottery culture is "generally dated 2000-1500 BCE,"<ref name="Benedetti"/> Early specimens of the characteristic ceramics found near Jodhpura, [[Rajasthan]], date from the 3rd millennium (this Jodhpura is located in the district of [[Jaipur]] and should not be confused with the city of [[Jodhpur]]). Several sites of culture flourish along the banks of [[Sahibi River]] and its tributaries such as [[Krishnavati river]] and Soti river, all originating from the [[Aravalli range]] and flowing from south to north-east direction towards [[Yamuna]] before disappearing in [[Mahendragarh district]] of [[Haryana]].<ref name=culture1>[https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0391023586 Cultural Contours of India: Dr. Satya Prakash Felicitation Volume], Vijai Shankar Śrivastava, 1981. {{ISBN|0391023586}}</ref> The OCP sites of Atranjikhera, [[Red fort|Lal Qila]], [[Jhinjhana]] and Nasirpur are dated to from 2600 to 1200 BC.{{sfn|Singh|2008|page=218}}
[[File:MET DP702288.jpg|thumb|left|Woman Riding Two Bulls (bronze), from [[Kosambi|Kausambi]], c.2000-1750 BCE]]
The culture reached the [[Gangetic plain]] in the early 2nd millennium. Recently, the Archaeological Survey of India discovered copper axes and some pieces of pottery in its excavation at the [[Saharanpur district]] of Uttar Pradesh.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/copper-axes-point-to-an-ancient-culture-story/article17383808.ece|title=Copper axes point to an ancient culture story|first=Mohammad|last=Ali|date=28 February 2017|access-date=25 April 2018|via=www.thehindu.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425232523/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/copper-axes-point-to-an-ancient-culture-story/article17383808.ece|archive-date=25 April 2018}}</ref>

==Pottery==
The pottery had a red slip but gave off an ochre color on the fingers of archaeologists who excavated it, hence the name. It was sometimes decorated with black painted bands and incised patterns. It is often found in association with [[Copper Hoard Culture|copper hoards]], which are assemblages of copper weapons and other artifacts such as anthropomorphic figures.

== Agriculture ==
OCP culture was rural and agricultural, characterized by cultivation of rice, barley, and legumes, and domestication of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, and dogs. Most sites were small villages in size, but densely distributed. Houses were typically made of [[wattle-and-daub]]. Other artifacts include animal and human figurines, and ornaments made of copper and [[terracotta]].{{sfn|Singh|2008|pp=216–218}}

==Copper hoards==
{{main|Copper Hoard Culture}}
[[File:Painted_Grey_Ware_sites_map_1.svg|alt=|thumb|Cemetery H, Late Harappan, OCP, Copper Hoard and Painted Grey ware sites]]

The term ''copper hoards'' refers to different assemblages of copper-based artefacts in the northern areas of the [[Indian Subcontinent]] that are believed to date from the 2nd millennium BC. Few derive from controlled excavations and several different regional groups are identifiable: southern [[Haryana]]/northern Rajasthan, the Ganges-[[Yamuna]] plain, [[Chota Nagpur Plateau|Chota Nagpur]], and [[Madhya Pradesh]], each with their characteristic artefact types. Initially, the copper hoards were known mostly from the Ganges-Yamuna [[doab]] and most characterizations dwell on this material.

Characteristic hoard artefacts from southern [[Haryana]]/northern [[Rajasthan]] include flat axes (celts), harpoons, double axes, and antenna-hilted swords. The doab has a related repertory. Artefacts from the Chota Nagpur area are very different; they seem to resemble ingots and are votive in character.
[[File:Anthropomorphic figures, chalcolithic,Yamuna-Ganga.BKB.jpg|thumb|Anthropomorphic figures. Chalcolithic, Ganges-Yamuna basin, 2800-1500 BCE. Provenance: [[Bisauli]] (212 km from New Delhi), Badaun district, Uttar Pradesh]]
[[File:Rewari Cu hoard object, 1075.jpg|thumb|Indian Copper hoard artifact from [[Rewari]]]]
The raw material may have been derived from a variety of sources in Rajasthan (Khetri), [[Bihar]], [[West Bengal]], [[Odisha]] (especially Singhbhum), and Madhya Pradesh (Malanjkhand).

==Relation with Harappan Civilization and Indo-Iranians==
[[File:Indo-Iranian origins.png|thumb|Archaeological cultures associated with [[Indo-Iranian migration]]s (after [[Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture|EIEC]]). The Andronovo, [[BMAC]] and Yaz cultures have often been associated with Indo-Iranian migrations. The GGC, Cemetery H, Copper Hoard and PGW cultures are candidates for cultures associated with Indo-Aryan movements.]]

Artefacts of this culture show similarities with both the Late Harappan culture and the Vedic culture,{{sfn|Gupta|Mani|2017}}{{sfn|Parpola|2020}} and the OCP may have been infiltrated by an [[Proto-Indo-Iranian language|Indo-Iranian migration]] into the India subcontinent coming into contact with Late Harappans.{{sfn|Parpola|2020}}

Various opinions exist on the origins of the OCP. There are relations with the Late Harappan phase, and some consider it as a token of this culture. Others regard it to be an independent cultural style.{{sfn|Singh|2008|pp=216–217}} Archaeologist Akinori Uesugi dates Ochre Coloured Pottery culture to c. 1900-1300 BCE, considering it as a Late Harappan expansion and archaeological continuity of the previous Bara style (c. 2300 and 1900 BCE), which was a regional culture of the [[Ghaggar-Hakra River|Ghaggar]] valley rooted in the Indus Civilization, calling it the ''Bara-OCP cultural complex''.<ref name="Uesugi">Uesugi, Akinori, (2018). [https://www.academia.edu/36726134/Abstracts_for_the_International_Conference_on_the_Iron_Age_in_South_Asia "An Overview on the Iron Age in South Asia"], in Abstracts for the International Symposium on the Iron Age in South Asia, June 2 and 3, 2018, at Kansai University, Osaka, p. 6: "...During the early second millennium BCE, the Bara-OCP (Ochre-Coloured pottery) cultural complex expanded from the Ghaggar valley to the western part of the Ganga valley. This cultural complex [...] has its origin rooted in the Indus Civilization in the preceding period, its eastward expansion indicates the colonization of the western Ganga valley probably giving great impetus to the Neolithic-Chalcolithic communities in the Ganga valley to transform into a more complex society..."</ref>
[[File:Sinauli chariot ASI.jpg|thumb|Sinauli ''chariot'', photograph of the [[Archaeological Survey of India]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kumar |first1=Vijay |title=A note on Chariot Burials found at Sinauli district Baghpat U.P |journal=Indian Journal of Archaeology |url=http://ijarch.org/Admin/Articles/9-Note%20on%20Chariots.pdf}}</ref>]]
Similarities have been noted by Parpola between the use of carts, as attested in burial practices at [[Sinauli excavation site|Sinauli]], and Indo-Iranian culture.{{sfn|Parpola|2020}}{{sfn|Gupta|Mani|2017}} Reflecting on these finds, Parpola rejects the identification of these carts as horse-pulled chariots, instead considering them to be ox-pulled carts and part of an early wave of Indo-Iranian settlers, coming into contact with Late Harappan culture:
{{quote|It seems, then, that the earliest Aryan-speaking immigrants to South Asia, the [[Copper Hoard Culture|Copper Hoard people]], came with bull-drawn carts (Sanauli and [[Daimabad]]) via the BMAC and had Proto-Indo-Iranian as their language. They were, however, soon followed (and probably at least partially absorbed) by early Indo-Aryans.{{sfn|Parpola|2020|p=191}}}}

According to Kumar, while the eastern OCP did not use Indus script, the whole of OCP had nearly the same material culture and likely spoke the same language throughout its expanse. OCP culture was a contemporary neighbor to [[Harappan civilization]], and between 2500 BC and 2000 BC, the people of Upper Ganga valley were using Indus script.{{sfn|Kumar|2017|p=105}}{{sfn|Singh|2008|pp=216–217}}

==See also==
*[[Kallur archaeological site]]

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}

* {{Citation | editor-last = Gupta | editor-first = S.P. | title = The lost Sarasvati and the Indus Civilization | place = Jodhpur | publisher = Kusumanjali Prakashan | year = 1995}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Gupta|first=Vinay|last2=Mani|first2=B.R.|date=2017|title=Painted Grey Ware Culture: Changing Perspectives|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333311996_Painted_Grey_Ware_Culture_Changing_Perspectives|journal=Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology|volume=|pages=377-378|via=}}

* {{cite journal|last=Kumar |first=Vijay |url=http://www.ijarch.org/Abstract.aspx?articleno=166 |title=Archaeological Gazetteer of Aligarh & Hathras Districts with special reference to OCP & Other Proto-Historic Cultures of Indo-Gangetic Plains |journal=Indian Journal of Archaeology |volume=2 |issue=4 |date=October 2017 |pp=55–394}}

* {{Cite journal|last=Parpola |first=Asko |date=2020 |title=Royal "Chariot" burials of Sanauli near Delhi and Archaeological correlates of Prehistoric Indo-Iranian languages |url=https://journal.fi/store/article/view/98032/56890|journal=Studia Orientalia Electronica |volume=8 |pages=176 |via=}}

* {{Citation | last = Sharma | first = Deo Prakash | title = Newly Discovered Copper Hoard, Weapons of South Asia (C. 2800-1500 B.C.) | place = Delhi | publisher = Bharatiya Kala Prakashan | year = 2002}}
* {{Citation | last =Singh | first =Upinder | year =2008 | title =A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India From the Stone Age to the 12th Century | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=H3lUIIYxWkEC&pg=PA216}}

* {{Citation | last = Yule | first = P. | title = Metalwork of the Bronze Age in India | place = Munich | publisher = C.H. Beck | year = 1985 | isbn = 3-406-30440-0}}
* {{Citation | last = Yule | first = P. | last2 = Hauptmann | first2 = A. | last3 = Hughes | first3= M. | title = The Copper Hoards of the Indian Subcontinent: Preliminaries for an Interpretation | publisher = Jahrbuch des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums Mainz | orig-year = 1989 | year = 1992 | pages = 36, 193–275 | issn = 0076-2741}}
* {{Citation | last = Yule | first = Paul | year = 2014| title = A New Prehistoric Anthropomorphic Figure from the Sharqiyah, Oman, in: ‘My Life is like the Summer Rose’ Maurizio Tosi e l’Archeologia come modo de vivere, Papers in Honour of Maurizio Tosi on his 70th Birthday, | place = Oxford | publisher = BAR Intern. Series 2690 }}
{{refend}}

{{Indus Valley Civilization}}

[[Category:Archaeological cultures in India]]
[[Category:Archaeological cultures of Asia]]
[[Category:Bronze Age Asia]]
[[Category:Indus Valley Civilisation]]
[[Category:History of Pakistan]]
[[Category:History of Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Indo-Aryan archaeological cultures]]
[[Category:Indo-European archaeology]]

Ochre Coloured Pottery culture - Revision history

imported>Dev0745 at 10:01, 10 July 2021