Copper Hoards and Ochre-Coloured Pottery Culture
Ancient History › Prehistoric and Chalcolithic Cultures · Topic 2.8
Over eighty copper hoards of rings, celts, hatchets, swords, harpoons and human-like figures are known from West Bengal and Orissa to Gujarat and Haryana, with the largest at Gungeria in Madhya Pradesh (424 copper tools and 102 silver sheets) and most in the Ganga-Yamuna doab. At two doab sites they came with Ochre-Coloured Pottery (about 2000 to 1500 BC), the red-slipped ware of short-lived rural settlements.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Prehistoric and Chalcolithic Cultures
At a Glance
- Hoards Over eighty finds
- Largest Gungeria, Madhya Pradesh
- Concentration Ganga-Yamuna doab
- OCP date About 2000 to 1500 BC
- Thickest deposit Jodhpura, 1.1 m
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Ancient History: Prehistoric and Chalcolithic Cultures
Where Does It Fit?
This is the eighth topic of the category on prehistoric and chalcolithic cultures. The previous topic covered the Chalcolithic cultures, and this one covers the copper-hoard and OCP complex of the north. The next topic covers megalithic and Iron Age cultures of south India. Previous topic: Chalcolithic Cultures of India.
What Are Copper Hoards?
In short: copper hoards are caches of copper tools and figures found across north and central India, mostly in the doab.
More than eighty copper hoards of rings, celts, hatchets, swords, harpoons, spearheads and human-like (anthropomorphic) figures have been found over a wide area, from West Bengal and Orissa in the east to Gujarat and Haryana in the west and from Andhra Pradesh to Uttar Pradesh. The largest hoard, from Gungeria in Madhya Pradesh, comprised 424 copper tools and weapons and 102 thin silver sheets. A substantial number are concentrated in the Ganga-Yamuna doab; elsewhere there are stray finds of harpoons, antennae swords and human figures, in plateau areas of Jharkhand, and copper celts in the Khetri zone of Rajasthan. The artefacts served for fishing, hunting, fighting, artisanal and agricultural uses. They show high technological skill and cannot have been the work of primitive nomad artisans. The distribution also suggests wide contact: the same kinds of objects appear in the doab, the plateau areas and the western and southern regions, so the coppersmiths evidently worked with knowledge of metal that travelled across regions, and the concentration in the doab points to a core area where the users lived.
What Is the Ochre-Coloured Pottery Culture?
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Pottery | Red-slipped ware appearing ochre in colour; the colour comes off when touched, as the soft texture may result from long association with water; often painted in black; forms include jars, storage jars, bowls and basins |
| Association | At two places in western UP copper hoard objects have been found with ochre-coloured pots, mud structures, stone tools and, at one, stray baked-brick fragments; hence also called the copper hoard culture |
| Date | About 2000 to 1500 BC on eight scientific datings; another view places it at 2600 to 1200 BCE |
| Spread | Many sites in the upper doab; settlement in the upper doab begins with the OCP people; thickest deposit 1.1 m at Jodhpura on the Haryana-Rajasthan border |
| Economy | Rural; rice, barley and legumes; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses and dogs; wattle-and-daub houses; copper and terracotta ornaments; animal figurines |
| End | No place lasted over a century or so; the settlements were small; why they ended is unclear, though inundation and waterlogging has been suggested |
After the OCP settlements disappeared the doab had little habitation until about 1000 BC, when some thin deposits of black-and-red ware appear.
How Is the OCP Culture Interpreted?
The people who used the copper hoard implements and OCP led a settled life and were among the earliest Chalcolithic agriculturalists and artisans in a substantial part of the doab. The culture has been seen as an impoverished Harappan culture, while some scholars see it as unconnected with Harappa; it may have had some association with early Vedic culture. At Ganeshwar near the Khetri copper mines (2800 to 2200 BC), copper objects with shapes similar to Indus ones, a terracotta cake of Indus type, microliths and OCP were found; but Ganeshwar was neither a proper OCP or copper-hoard culture nor urban, and principally supplied copper objects to Harappa. As an analytical point, the hoards and OCP show a copper-using rural population in the Ganga basin before the iron age, small and short-lived, so it formed a bridge between the Harappan sphere and later settlement, as explained in Post-Harappan Cultures and the Problem of Continuity. The wider copper-stone background is in Chalcolithic Cultures of India.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Terms OCP and copper hoards are standard Prelims terms
- Interpretation Relation to Harappa and early Vedic culture
- Material culture Copper technology
What Came Next?
The next topic describes megalithic and Iron Age cultures of south India. Next topic: Megalithic and Iron Age Cultures of South India.
Key People and Terms
- Copper hoard Cache of copper tools
- OCP Ochre-Coloured Pottery
- Gungeria Site of the largest hoard
- Anthropomorphic figure Human-like copper figure
- Celt Axe-like tool
- Doab Land between two rivers
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Over eighty hoards; largest at Gungeria.
- OCP about 2000 to 1500 BC.
- Thickest OCP deposit: Jodhpura.
- Ganeshwar: 2800 to 2200 BC.
- OCP is red-slipped and ochre-coloured.
Do Not Confuse With
- OCP and PGW Ochre pottery of the copper hoard phase versus later painted grey ware of the iron age
- Ganeshwar and Ahar Khetri-belt supplier of copper to Harappa versus the Banas valley Chalcolithic culture
- Copper hoard and Harappan bronze Rural copper tools versus urban bronze
Memory Hook
Eighty hoards, one Gungeria; ochre pots in the doab, small and short, then silence.
Mains Angle
Questions on this topic ask for the nature of the OCP culture. These points add depth.
- Finds Hoards and pottery
- Society Rural, settled, short-lived
- Debate Link to Harappa
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Discuss the copper hoards and the Ochre-Coloured Pottery culture of the Ganga basin.”
How to Answer
- Hoards Distribution and tools.
- OCP Pottery and economy.
- Date 2000 to 1500 BC.
- Debate Harappan or not.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What are copper hoards?
Copper hoards are caches of copper rings, celts, hatchets, swords, harpoons and human-like figures, over eighty of which have been found from West Bengal to Gujarat. The largest, from Gungeria in Madhya Pradesh, held 424 copper objects and 102 silver sheets.
What is Ochre-Coloured Pottery?
Ochre-Coloured Pottery is a red-slipped ware, often painted black, that looks ochre because the colour rubs off. Found in the upper Ganga-Yamuna doab and dated about 2000 to 1500 BC, it is associated with copper hoard objects.
Where were most copper hoards found?
A substantial number are concentrated in the Ganga-Yamuna doab. Elsewhere there are stray finds of copper harpoons, antennae swords and human figures in Jharkhand and other plateau areas, and many copper celts in the Khetri zone of Rajasthan.
How long did OCP settlements last?
At no place did OCP settlements last more than a century or so, and they were neither large nor widespread. Why they ended is unclear, though flooding followed by waterlogging in an extensive area has been suggested.
What is the importance of Ganeshwar?
Ganeshwar, near the Khetri copper mines of Rajasthan and dated about 2800 to 2200 BC, produced many copper objects, some like Indus ones. It principally supplied copper to Harappa and is seen as a pre-Harappan Chalcolithic culture.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 The largest copper hoard was found at Gungeria.
It had 424 copper tools and 102 silver sheets.
2 OCP settlements typically lasted for many centuries.
They lasted a century or so.
3 Most copper hoards are concentrated in the Ganga-Yamuna doab.
Others are stray finds.
4 Ganeshwar supplied copper objects to Harappa.
It lay near the Khetri mines.
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