Surface Coating Technique of Northern Black Polished Ware by the Microscopic Analysis

Abstract

An organic substance has been identified in the top layer of Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) excavated from the Wari-Boteshwar and Mahasthangarh sites in Bangladesh. NBPW is the most distinctive ceramic of Early Historic period and the technique of its surface gloss acquired numerous theories. This particular paper is an analytical study of collected NBPW sherds from these two sites including surface observations using binocular and scanning electron microscopes and Thin Section Analysis of potsherds. Thin section analysis identified two different layers of coating on the surface of the NBPW. One layer is a ‘slip’ (ground coat) and the other is a ‘top layer or top coat ’. The slip was made from refined clay and the top layer was derived from organic substance. Microscopic analysis confirmed the solid and non-clayey characteristics of the top coat.