Shu-ilishu's Cylinder Seal
A Mesopotamian cylinder seal referring to the personal translator of the ancient Indus or Meluhan language, Shu-ilishu, who lived around 2020 BCE during the late Akkadian period.
355 peer-reviewed articles from leading journals about the latest discoveries about the ancient Indus civilization, its antecedents and contemporaries in the Persian Gulf and Mesopotamia, during the Bronze Age 3500-1700 BCE by the world's ancient Indus archaeologists and scholars.
The Lothal Revisitation Project. A Fine Thread Connecting Ancient India to Contemporary Raveena
The full story of excavations at Lothal, including the 2008-2009 revisitation project which included satellite imagery and magnetic surveys indicating the presence of interesting structures for a future excavation project.
Regional Diversity in the Harappan World: The Evidence of the Seals
During the second half of the 3rd millennium BC, the Harappan Civilization covered an area of over one million square kilometers in South Asia, from the Afghan highlands to western India.
Excavations at Shikarpur 2007-2008: A Costal Port and Craft Production Center of the Indus Civilization in Kutch, India
Results from the exciting and continuing excavations on the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.
Infection, Disease, and Biosocial Processes at the End of the Indus Civilization
A paper assessing evidence for paleopathology to infer the biological consequences of climate change and socio-economic disruption in the post-urban period at Harappa, one of the largest urban centers in the Indus Civilization.
The Tiny Steatite Seals of Harappa
A closer look at the tablets discovered at Harappa during HARPS excavations and the locations where they were discovered at the site.
Materials used in the Bronze Age
A discussion of some of the approaches meta-issues that arise when investigating raw materials, their locations and histories of their exploitation and how these can be interpreted. Particular attention is paid to carnelian and the history of possible sources in Gujarat.
Beginnings of Indian Astronomy with Reference to a Parallel Development in China
An impressive paper by one of the Indus script's most important interpreters and theorists looks at the origins of astronomy in the subcontinent.
New Evidence for Early Silk in the Indus Civilization
Recent work at Harappa by the Harappa Archaeological Research Project shows that a new study of artifacts recovered from the 1999 and 2000 seasons at the site has revealed the presence of silk.
Celebrating the Life of Muhammad Nawaz, World Famous Potter from Harappa
An obituary for an extraordinary artist who helped to replicate the exquisite painted ceramics and figurines that were made at the ancient site of Harappa.
The Origin, Context and Function of the Indus Script: Recent Insights from Harappa
Based on recent excavations at Harappa, it is possible to determine that square seals with animal motifs (such as the elephant) and possibly the short horned bull are among the earliest form of seal with writing.
Is the Indus script indeed not a writing system?
In 2008, Dr. Parpola published an updated 2nd paper addressing the controversial Farmer thesis Is the Indus script indeed not a writing system? It originally appeared as part of a felicitations volume in honor of Iravatham Mahadevan published in Chennai, India.
The Aryan Homeland Debate in India
An incisive look at the debate around this issue by one of India's foremost archaeological thinkers. Ratnagar looks at the issue in light of Indian Independence and the various political issues and currents that affect archaeological discourse and interpretations.
The Levallois Mousterian Assemblages of Sindh
The research carried out in the Indian Subcontinent, Central Asia, Iran, and the Arabian Peninsula has improved our knowledge of the Middle Paleolithic in the regions. However, the southeasternmost distribution of the Levallois Mousterian is still poorly defined.
Sonari: A Bronze Age Settlement (Sindh, Pakistan)
The surveys carried out by Professor A.R. Khan in Lower Sindh, Pakistan, during the 1970s led to the discovery of an impressive number of prehistoric sites, some of which are briefly described in Khan’s important monograph on the geomorphology and prehistory of Sindh. Strangely, however, he never mentioned the existence of a (still) unique fisher-gatherer settlement at Sonari in spite of earlier visits he paid to the area.
The Palaeolithic Sites at Ongar: a Resource in Danger
A brief article by Paolo Biagi and Renato Nisbet which discusses the Palaeolithis sites at Ongar (Sindh, Pakistan), their potential value, the dangers of losing the site and unwillingness of local government to secure it. The article includes nearly a dozen color images including maps, diagrams, and on-location photos of the site.
Lithic Production: The Excavation of RH962 Flint Mine and Flint Knapping Workshops on the Rohri Hills
This paper considers one aspect of the research conducted by the Italian Archaeological Mission in Sindh, more specifically the discovery of the Indus flint mines of the III millennium BC in the Rohri Hills, and the excavations carried out at flint mine RH962.
Zahr-Muhra: Soapstone - Cutting in Contemporary Baluchistan and Sindh
This paper represents as introduction to the work of a contemporary soapstone-cutter living and working between Baluchistan and Sindh.
Surface Evidence of Craft Activity at Chanhu-daro
The results of a three-day visit to the site in March 1984 by two experienced Indus archaeologists, the first such visit since Chanhu-daro was excavated in the 1930s by E.H. Mackay.
Three End-Scrapers from Mohenjo-Daro (Pakistan)
The evidence and theories surrounding three chert end-scrapers which were discovered on the surface of Mohenjo-Daro. Wear patterns as well traces of an organic substance found in the grooves offer insight into the original uses of the artifacts.
Cultural Relationships Beyond the Iranian Plateau: The Helmand Civilization, Baluchistan and the Indus Valley in the 3rd Millennium BCE
An examination of a variety of discovered artifacts which suggest a trade system within the region. Trade trends are marked and explained as the excavated items reflect shifts in the market.
Stoneware Industry of the Indus Civilization: An Evolutionary Dead-end in the History of Ceramic Technology
An article examining the construction of ceramic stoneware in the Indus Valley Civilization with a focus on Mohenjo-daro.
Early Beadmakers of the Indus Tradition
This paper examines a reconstruction of the techniques used by the ancient beadmakers for the production of 'steatite' beads in Mehrgarh (Pakistan) during the fifth century (BCE). Additionally, it includes an in-depth analysis of the methodologies and modern technologies employed in the comparative
Indus Components in the Iconography of a White Marble Cylinder Seal from Konar Sandal South (Kerman, Iran)
A detailed analysis of a rare white marble cylinder seal found at the recently discovered site of Jiroft in south-eastern Iran testifies to the multiple cultural and trade connections between the Indus civilization and its western neighbours.
New Discoveries of Mesolithic sites in the Thar Desert (Upper Sindh, Pakistan)
Dr. Biagi discusses recent finds that are casting new light on the extent of pre-Indus technology and cultures.
Notes on Shortugai: A Harappan Site in Northern Afghanistan
Dr. Dupree, a noted expert on Afghanistan, presents a summary of the noted Harappan outpost in the Kunduz region of the Oxus Valley, a site which emphasizes the importance of the lapus lazuli trade.
Novelizing the Ancient Indus Valley
An insightful survey of fiction about the ancient Indus civilization, a theme rather new to publishing but where we can expect more activity in the future if the recent past is a good indicator. The writer is himself an author of ancient Indus fiction based on research.
Gender in Southwest Asian Prehistory
An article on the examination of gender (and gender theory) in Southwest Asian history.
Water Supply and History: Harappa and the Beas Regional Survey
A paper examining and interpreting climate models and the history of water supply as it pertains to the Indus Valley civilization (including dramatic changes in precipitation and shifts in the Ravi River among the rerouting of other streams and tributaries).
Satellite Remote Sensing Imagery: New Evidence for Site Distribution and Ecologies in the Upper Indus
The landscape and mapping project around the now dry riverbed of the Beas river has cast important light on how ancient riverine settlements and environments interacted with an urban center like Harappa.