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Thirty Years of Archaeological Surveys and Excavations in Sindh and Las Bela (Balochistan)

Another important summary paper by Paolo Biagi reprises all the discoveries made by Italian teams in Sindh and Balochistan that have upended our understanding of pre and neighbouring areas to the Indus civilization.

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Deconstructing the 'Harappan Courtiers': A Re-evaluation of Some of the Anthropomorphic Terracotta Figurines from Harappa

Sharri R. Clark

A comprehensive and important paper that actually takes on the much larger question of Mesopotamian to Indus influence which animated the work of earlier archaeologists. Clark discusses so-called "Harappan courtiers," figurines with tiaras and flower headresses that are thought to have parallels with Mesopotamian artifacts, particularly the royal burial goods of Queen Puabi.

The Indus Script: Origins, Use and Disappearance

Jonathan Mark Kenoyer

"The contexts of script and changes in the writing over time indicate that the Indus script was versatile and that it was probably used to communicate complex ideas as well as multiple languages.

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Carnelian and Agate Beads in the Oman Peninsula during the Third to Second millennia BC

Jonathan Mark Kenoyer

A detailed look at carnelian and agate sources and manufacture throughout the Gulf region, and how many of the beads found show clear evidence of ancient Indus manufacturing techniques.

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The Amri Chalcolithic Phase in Sindh (Pakistan): What We know and What We Should Know

Paolo Biagi

Very little is known about the so-called "Amri Phase," as this author refers to an apparently pre-Indus civilization site in Sindh that dates to the 4th millennium BCE.

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Mohenjo-daro and Interregional Connections in the Indus Civilization: Evidence from Inscribed Seals

Gregg M. Jamison

One way to understand the connections between ancient Indus sites, often separated by enormous distances, is to look ever more closely at some of their smallest artefacts – in this case unicorn seals, usually merely 5 cm square.

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Introduction to Study of the Indus Script

Asko Parpola

In 2004 Steve Farmer, Richard Sproat (University of Illinois) and Michael Witzel (Harvard University) stunned the world of ancient Indus scholarship with the claim that the Indus sign system was not writing. Asko Parpola's work was a target of their critique. This is his response.

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The shell-middens of the Arabian Sea and Gulf: maritime connections in the seventh millenium BP?

Paolo Biagi

The discovery of shell-middens (mounds) in Las Bela, Balochistan, from roughly 8000 BCE raises the possibility of trade across the Arabian Sea during Neolithic times.

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The Prehistoric Flint Mines at Jhimpir in Lower Sindh

Paolo Biagi

New finds from 2010 at one of the earliest flint mines in South Asia.

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Lapis Lazuli: Beadmaking in Afghanistan and Pakistan

Jonathan Mark Kenoyer

Recent observations of artisans in Peshawar, Pakistan suggest that some techniques for making beads and other ornaments from lapis lazuli have not changed over the millennia.

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