Indus Valley Civilization, Mature Harappan Period Pottery Zebu Bull Culture / Period: Indus Valley Civilization, Mature Harappan Period Date / Period: ca. 2600–1900 B.C. Material: Pottery Dimensions: 70 mm Condition: Good condition No shipping outside the European Union. Due to complex export regulations concerning cultural goods, this item cannot be shipped outside the EU. Please ensure you have a delivery address within the European Union before placing a bid. Provenance information: Object Registration ID: 679 The current owner purchased the Indus Valley Civilization, Mature Harappan Period pottery Zebu bull from a private collector, N.N. The previous owner, a private collector, N.N. from the Netherlands, stated that the object had been in his collection since the 1990s. According to the previous owner, the object had previously been in a private collection in the Netherlands since the 1990s. No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner. Background Information: This hand-modelled terracotta figurine represents a zebu bull, identified by its characteristic shoulder hump and prominent horns. The zebu was one of the most important domesticated animals of the Indus Valley Civilization, serving as a source of agricultural power, transport, and wealth. Its frequent appearance in Harappan art reflects its central role in both everyday life and the symbolic world of this remarkable Bronze Age civilisation. Terracotta animal figurines were produced in large numbers throughout the Mature Harappan period and have been recovered from major urban centres such as Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Dholavira, and numerous smaller settlements. While many examples were probably children's toys, others may have functioned as household votive objects or held symbolic significance associated with fertility, prosperity, and the importance of livestock. The precise purpose of individual figurines cannot always be determined. Each example was modelled by hand from fine clay and fired in simple kilns before use. Despite their individual variations, these figurines reflect the highly developed artistic traditions of the Indus Valley Civilization, whose craftsmen produced pottery, seals, sculpture, and metalwork to a remarkably consistent standard. The widespread distribution of similar objects demonstrates the cultural unity and extensive exchange networks that linked settlements across the Indus region. Dating to approximately 2600–1900 B.C., this figurine belongs to the flourishing Mature Harappan period, when one of the world's earliest urban civilisations reached its greatest development. It forms a tangible connection to the ancient Indus world, where the zebu bull was both an essential part of daily life and a powerful symbol within one of the great civilizations of the Bronze Age.