Indus Valley Pottery Figure, Bajaur Culture, 3000-2500 B.C.

These ceramic containers with sinuous and feminine forms are associated with the culture of the Indus Valley, more specifically with the city of Bajour, in the current city of Pakistan. These sculptures are considered to have a votive function, as a large number of them have been found in sacred repositories, so they are understood to have an apotropic function. These hollow ceramic figures, given in ancient cultures, are contemporary to cultures such as Ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia. The apotropic function of these pieces was to protect fertility and maternity. Their lines and forms are assimilated to a feminine form, and normally the opening of its head is near to a gathered hairstyle. Its function could be to contain water for ritual libations or some type of cereal grain as a food offering. In addition, there are various forms that indicate to us that incense could also have been contained. It would undoubtedly be a key ritual element for fertility. Really these pieces, for their strangeness and difficulty of use, are unique among all ancient cultures.