The Goddess Ringstones of North India

Here's a page created for my course a decade ago, illustrating the spread of the Shaushka archetype into India. She shows up in the mysterious ringstones that are found from Taxila in the far northwest of India and across the Gangetic plain of north India in the early centuries BCE. The stone rings are not found anywhere else. Some have a lotus formation instead of a hollow in the center. It's possible they were used for pouring libations to Lakshmi.

The goddesses seem to reflect some influences from the west, notably in the Hathor flip and their wide-hipped shape with turned-out feet, which show strong similarities to Hurrian goddesses at Carchemish, Hasanlu, and various Syrian seals. But these show a distinctly Indian character, especially in the tiger and tree connection, which goes back to the Harappan period, along with pipal leaves and other South Asia motifs.

Below, a ringstone which probably comes from Bihar in eastern India, around the 3rd century or late 2nd century bce, now in the NY Met Museum.

Another ringstone in the Met (note how most of these have been taken out of India!), showing the Goddess flanked by geese.

The Mauryan ringstone below is from northwest Pakistan (and thus closer to Hurrian country). She adheres pretty closely to the Shaushka archetype, and appears with the palmate tree of life so common in Canaanite / Syrian art. She dates to the 3rd century bce and is in the British Museum.

Contrast the one above with the vigorous Indian style of these dancing women on a Maurya_ ringstone, also 3rd century bce, now in the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Many of these ringstones have a circle of stars on their outer permeters, fourpointed unlike the fivepointed stars we see in Egyptian art. They don't look like the quadrant (cross) pattern which is so common in ancient art, but are more irregular and pointed.

The ringstone below was found in Thailand, the only one known outside of India; may be the same as one posted above, i can't tell. http://www.bunchar.com/version1/index.php/belovedhomeland/2296-20170825-1-why-is-this-find-so-important

I haven't seen any archaeologists comment on the similarity of the ringstone goddesses, especially the turned-out feet and, sometimes, her standing between branches, to the Hurrian goddess Shaushka or her many avatars, notably Ishtar of Nineveh and the Hittite maiden goddess.

The image above (no source identified) was one of the first I saw that suggested a linkage with the Hurrian seals depicting Shaushka between tree fronds or other curved shapes.

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