Introduction and Chapters 1-3 [96 Pages]
This nearly 750 page book on the Geologic Provenience Study of Harappa's Rock and Mineral Assemblage is presented in 12 sections, each with the PDFs of entire chapters, as well as figures, images and
A Geologic Provenance Study of Harappa's Rock and Mineral Assemblage
A Book by Randall William Law
New Introductory Paragraph by Randall Law, 2024
I wish to express my deepest gratitude to Omar Khan for making my book entitled Inter-Regional Interaction and Urbanism in the Ancient Indus Valley: A Geologic Provenience Study of Harappa's Rock and Mineral Assemblage available to all on Harappa.com. The book’s title is a concise description of its subject matter and if it reads like a dissertation that’s because it is. Under the supervision of Prof. Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, my PhD thesis of the same name was completed in 2008 at the Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison. This book, which is an updated and expanded version of that thesis, was published in 2011 by the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature in Kyoto, Japan as well as by Manohar Publishers & Distributors in New Delhi, India.
A large (420mb) pdf of the entire 830 page book can be downloaded via this link.
Here, the book has been divided into twelve sections with links to smaller, more manageable pdfs. The sections contain introductory and background materials, chapters focusing on individual material types, a summary and concluding statement, and extensive appendices and references.
Randall Law, March 2024
2. Chapter 4 – The Rock and Mineral Artifact Assemblage at Harappa [36 Pages]
The rock and mineral artifact assemblage at Harappa is large. More than 56,000 individual items made of stone or metal have been tabulated since excavations by the HARP began in 1986.
3. Chapter 5 – Grindingstone Acquisition Networks [40 Pages]
Groundstone implements are, in terms of total weight, by far the most abundant kind of stone artifact found at Harappa. ncluded in this category are querns, mortars, mullers, pestles, whetstones, burnishers and adzes.
4. Chapter 6 – Chert Acquisition Networks [34 Pages]
Indus Civilization peoples, although heavy consumers of copper and skilled producers of copper-alloy implements, still chose to utilize chert to manufacture many of the tools (blades, drills, scrapers, awls, etc.) that they used in their daily lives.
5. Chapter 7 – Steatite Acquisition Networks [84 Pages]
Steatite – a rock composed primarily of the mineral talc ( hydrous magnesium silicate) in its massive form, was undoubtedly a material of tremendous importance at Harappa. Artifacts made from it comprise nearly 40% of the site’s rock and mineral assemblage.
6. Chapter 8 – Agate Acquisition Networks [38 Pages]
The roughly 4700 finished objects (mostly ornaments but also the occasional stone weight) and pieces of raw material or manufacturing debris from Harappa that have been designated agate or jasper exhibit a bewildering range of macroscopic variability.
7. Chapter 9 – Vesuvianite-grossular Acquisition Networks [25 Pages]
In this chapter, I examine a distinctive translucent g reen to yellowish-g reen rock that has been recovered at Harappa in the form of beads, amulets and manufacturing debris.
8. Chapter 10 – Alabaster Acquisition Networks [29 Pages]
The mineral gypsum – hydrated calcium sulfate (CaSO4•2H2O), is found in many forms at Indus Civilization sites. Transparent tabular crystals known as selenite have been recovered at Harappa.
9. Chapter 11 - Limestone Acquisition Networks [42 Pages]
Limestone – a massive rock predominately composed of calcium carbonate – was, on the whole, used to create objects larger than are typically found at Harappa.
10. Chapter 12 – Lead, Silver and Copper Acquisition Networks [66 Pages]
Of the many rock and mineral varieties found at Indus Civilization sites, archaeologists have by far expended the most time and effort in the study of artifacts made of metals, in particular copper.