Small, carved disks known as "ring stones" have been found over a wide area in north-west Pakistan and into Afghanistan, and present something of a dating puzzle. Consensus among scholars places much of the production of carved ring stones in the Mauryan period. However, it is likely that some are older, while stylistic differences place others in the Shunga period (about 185-50 BCE).¹  They are decorated with a variety of motifs, with many featuring foliage designs, such as vines or fruit trees, as well as human forms. Two female figures are included in this example (one of the figures is damages). Their prominent hips, their nudity and their placement amongst rich foliage have led experts to conclude that the figures represent a fertility spirits or goddess. Images such as this reinforce the fact that, while the Mauryan period is notable for the wide spread of Buddhism, fertility cults (perhaps surviving from the earlier Dravidian religious tradition of the Indus Valley civilization) and other religious practices were simultaneously practiced.

(1) From the British Museum web site dedicated to this object.