Chert

Chert related objects and activities related to the ancient Indus Civilization.

Rohri Hills

The Rohri Hills as they appear along the western fringe of the plateau, facing the fertile Indus Valley, where most of thhe Harappan flint quarries and workshops have been discovered. (The shadow is from the helicopter.)

Rohri Hills

The Rohri Hills as they appear along the western fringe of the plateau, facing the fertile Indus Valley, where most of the Harappan flint quarries and workshops have been discovered (map).

Rohri Hills

The Rohri Hills as they appear along the western fringe of the plateau, facing the fertile Indus Valley, where most of the Harappan flint quarries and workshops have been discovered.

Quarries

Around the quarries, thousands of flint artefacts were found lying on the surface. This shows that peliminary chipping of the artefacts took place on top of the mesas, or flat limestone terraces.

Flint Quarries

The presence of Harappan flint workshops in the hills close to Rohri had been discovered by Bridget Allchin in 1975. The impressive mining activity in the hills is particularly well-represented near Shadee Shaheed.

Flint Cores

The cores are of a type typical for Harappan culture, both conical and elongated. The blades have been struck off with the pressure technique. This involves pressing the surface of a flint or flake with a soft-pointed instrument.

Aerial View

One of the main minig areas from an altitide of 80 metres. The quarry pits are lighter, semi-circular spots which show areas where sand blown from the neighbouring Thar Desert has been trapped in the quarry depressions.

Quarry Pit

The excavation of one of these quarry pits was carried out in February 1995. The excavation took place over a small 2 by 3 meter area facing the Indus Valley.

Pages