Harappa Excavations 1995-2001

The northern end of Mound AB, shown here from the North, comprises more than 17 meters of occupational debris beginning on top of an old levee of the river Ravi and continuing up from the Ravi …

View of Harappa Mound AB Trench 39N from the North showing the earliest Ravi [Aspect of the Hakra] phase occupation levels (Period IA, ca. 3300 BC).

Ravi phase hand-formed (not in molds) mud-bricks were found in the early levels mixed with ash and broken pieces of pottery. They may originally have been part of a firing structure or kiln.

Ravi phase houses seem to have been constructed with wooden supports and walls made of plastered reeds. A lump of plaster with reed impressions is seen in this image.

Each Ravi phase stratigraphic layer was identified and excavated, and the many rodent holes, obvious both in the exposed area and in the section, were isolated.

Many broken and unfinished stone beads of carnelian (red-orange) and amazonite (blue-green) were found in the floor levels associated with the Ravi phase pits and hearths.

This large Ravi phase pit was filled with domestic trash and some bead making debris.

Scanning electron microscope photos of a molded impression of the drill hole indicate that the amazonite bead (8) was drilled with a tapered chert or jasper drill.

From different levels of the Ravi phase come these terracotta beads (center string) and hard stone beads made from carnelian, amazonite, and lapis lazuli.

Chipped carnelian bead blanks indicate that the initial stages of bead manufacture were taking place in this part of the Ravi phase settlement.

J. Mark Kenoyer assisted by Peter Eltsov carefully uncover and mark Ravi phase bead manufacturing debris in preparation for mapping and photography.

Ravi phase bead manufacturing debris includes extremely fine microdebitage as well as flakes and drills (marked with the green flag).

After marking, the entire excavation team is called in to map and eventually collect the bead manufacturing debris and all of the sediment from each layer of Ravi phase floors.

After wet screening, the Ravi phase microdebitage, larger flakes, broken drills, and even microbeads are sorted according to type of artifact and kind and color of stone.

During drilling, the tips of agate drills become hot and often spall off.

Jasper drill bits were used for drilling carnelian and amazonite beads during the Ravi and subsequent phases at Harappa.

After excavation, the section view of the Ravi phase floors with agate manufacturing debris was drawn and photographed, and block samples were taken for micromorphological study.

This plan shows concentrations of bead manufacturing debris on several superimposed Ravi phase floor levels that indicate the positions of actual work areas.

Harappa Mound AB, Trench 39N, showing the Kot Diji phase (Period 2, ca. 2800-2600 BC) and later levels during excavation.

Plan view of Trench 39N Kot Diji phase levels (Period 2: 2800-2600 BC) with locations noted for major finds: sealing, elephant seal, inscribed sherds, limestone weight.

Excavations in 1996 revealed two Period 2 small kilns for making figurines and bangles, as well as preserved floors with Kot Diji style pottery, beads, and figurines

The larger Kot Diji phase kiln, here shown under excavation, had a highly vitrified and reduced interior.

Kot Diji phase terracotta bangles include many styles and incised and painted decorations.

The Kot Diji phase streets were filled with debris, including potsherds, charcoal, ash, animal bones, and occasional bangles and steatite beads.

This set of steatite disc beads, each about 1 cm in diameter, were found in the Kot Diji phase street and appear to be a necklace segment that was lost in the trash.

Gold sequins found in the Kot Diji phase street suggest that some people were wearing clothing or paraphernalia decorated with rare and presumably costly materials.

This unique green stone bead, hardly 1 cm long, was found in the ash at the edge of a Kot Diji phase hearth. The material has not yet been identified, but it may be a form of obsidian.

Careful excavation resulted in the finding and preservation of this Kot Diji phase coiled basketry impression.

Sediment around the basketry impression was cut away by graduate student Brad Chase, leaving it on a pedestal so it could be removed in a block.

In preparing the basketry impression for removal, large numbers of broken Kot Diji phase ceramic vessels were uncovered, all discarded together into the street along with the basket.

The pedestaled basketry impression was covered with plastic and a plaster jacket applied to hold the column together when the sediment was cut loose.

HARP co-directors J. Mark Kenoyer and Richard Meadow discuss the excavation of a Kot Diji phase storage jar that was later covered by a hearth.

Careful excavation of the contents of the Kot Diji phase storage jar revealed a treasure of garbage that can tell us about the food the Kot Dijian people ate and discarded.

At the bottom of the Kot Diji phase storage vessel was a broken lid and charcoal that was used for dating the fill inside the pot.

Numerous pots and hearths were discovered in mud-brick buildings along the western edge of the N-S oriented Kot Diji phase street.

In Kot Diji phase sediment that had washed into the street, Brad Chase discovered a button seal (close-up in 44) quite similar to seals recovered from the site of Rehman Dheri in to the Northwest in…

On this Kot Diji phase steatite button seal from Harappa (H2000-4495 / 9597-01), traces of blue-green glaze can be seen (upper center and left center).

Obverse of an unfinished elephant seal (H2000-4474/8994-01) in steatite from the Kot Diji phase levels at Harappa.

A paving of brick rubble and broken ring stones, dating to late in the Harappa phase, was found on top of Mound AB to the west of the wall void shown in 50.

A wavy ringstone fragment was found in erosion debris near the rubble leveling shown in 51.

This Harappa phase ringstone was originally found many years ago while local residents were digging a well in Harappa town.

Excavation assistant Abdul Jabbar from Harappa town begins cleaning the ringstone after excavation.

Laboratory assistants Mohammad Naim, Shokat Ali, Said Ahmed, and Mukthar Massih carry the cleaned and conserved ringstone to the Harappa Museum for display.

Top view of the carved stone sculptural component (58) showing dowel hole for attachment to the rest of the sculpture.

A cubical die with 1 to 6 dots was found in the Harappan phase rubble.

Overview of the north-south oriented brick wall (Feature 50) and doorway of the large Harappan building in Trench 39N. Note the earlier drain that runs east-west underneath the wall.

The brick wall may have been the foundation for a wooden superstructure and the white tags show where wooden posts were fixed.

The original excavated structure here is being buried beneath a protective layer made from salvaged ancient Harappan bricks.

The reconstructed brick wall is covered each year with a protective coating of clay and straw plaster.

A portion of a large brick drain (Feature 8) was discovered beneath the Harappan wall (see Image 63).

Brick robbing from both directions removed all but the central portion of this drain, but the remaining contents provide an important sequence of Harappan pottery spanning at least 200 years from…

In the street levels above the drain a collection of banded sandstone and banded terracotta beads were discovered.

Banded sandstone beads and (bottom row) imitation stone beads made of different colors of clay.

The impressions of a pipal leaf found in the upper clay levels of the drain (shown here with a modern pipal leaf) indicate that what many think was a sacred tree even at that time was growing in the…

Plan view of the east side of Mound E and the west side of Mound ET showing areas excavated between 1993 and 2001 (Trenches 9, 10, 11).

Workmen are cleaning the Trench 11 area in preparation for photography during the 1997 excavation season. Perimeter wall [250] is on the left.

The Trench 11 area showing the perimeter wall (on the left), the curtain wall, and the Period 3C drain that cut deeply into the Period 3B deposits (see the labeled plan in 72). The sediments outside…

Deposits of building debris and household rubbish were discarded over the perimeter wall into the open area below and were retained by the curtain wall.

Cross-sections inside (top) and outside (bottom) of perimeter wall [250].

A group of 16 three-sided incised baked steatite tablets, all with the same inscriptions, were uncovered in mid- to late Period 3B debris outside of the curtain wall.

An additional six copies of these tablets, again all with the same inscriptions, were found elsewhere in the debris outside of perimeter wall [250] including two near the group of 16 and two in…