A wide-ranging analysis of toys and their possible role in ancient Indus civilization through a close look at finds from Bagasra, Gujarat. Using social theory, microarchaeology, recent research in other civilizations, and a sophisticated approach to the question of "toys" in archaeology, the author offers one of the few deep dives into a kind of object that is found in great quantities across many ancient Indus sites. >

This is a deeply researched and satisfying book, one that takes on the insightful point made by Marshall: "Great cities with teeming populations like Mohenjo-daro and Harappa could never have come into being save in a country which was capable of producing food on a big scale." >