In a tour-de-force of interpretation, Iravatham Mahadevan attempts to interpret two of the most common ancient Indus signs using parallels from old Tamil. >
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. >
Surveys conducted along the southeastern coast of Las Bela in the following years have shown that shell middens with different characteristics and variable chronology exist in many places among which are Gadani and Phuari Headlands and the shores of Lake Siranda. Shell middens are places where the debris from eating shellfish and other food has accumulated over time. >
Although shell objects may seem relatively insignificant compared to other categories of objects, such as seals or sculpture, a detailed study of shell objects and shell working has revealed important aspects of trade and craft specialization in the Indus Civilization. >
Study of the excavated material combined with radiocarbon dates has made it possible to present a detailed chronology for the Harappa site and a more precise breakdown of the types of artifacts and architectural traditions associated with each major occupational period. >
Recent discussions on the nature of early state societies have led some scholars to suggest that the early urban phenomenon of the Indus Civilization should not be characterized as a state level society. This paper will critically examine these arguments in the context of current studies of the Indus Civilization and recent excavations at Harappa, Pakistan. >
This paper will summarize the available literature and recent discoveries on the production and use of metals by peoples of the Indus Valley,Tradition of Pakistan and Western India. >
The discovery of many Mesolithic (roughly 10,000 BCE and afterwards, many thousands of years before the height of the Indus Civilization) sites in the Thar Desert in the 1990s. >
Following a brief discussion of the regional and inter-regional contexts in which Harappan pottery production took place, focus is placed on recent excavations at Harappa for the purpose of providing an introduction to the project with respect to patterns of technology and the organization of production. >
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. >
