Crafts | Harappa

Articles on the various crafts and manufacturing activities during ancient Indus times.

Stone Beads in Oman during the 3rd to 2nd Millennia BCE. New Approaches to the Study of Trade and Technology

"In this paper," write the authors, "we present the preliminary results of a long-term and multifaceted study of the role of craft specialists and traders who were present in ancient Magan during the 5th-1st millennia BCE (Table 1), with a specific focus on beads found at sites in modern Oman, and … >

Interaction Systems, Specialized Crafts and Culture Change: The Indus Valley Tradition and the Indo-Gangetic Tradition in South Asia

Jonathan Mark Kenoyer

The author focuses primarily on economic interaction networks and specialised crafts to show how they can provide a window on the other changes that may have been occurring. >

Lakheen-Jo-Daro, an Indus Civilization Settlement at Sukkur in Upper Sindh (Pakistan): A Scrap Copper Hoard and Human Figurine from a Dated Context

Paolo Biagi

We know so little about so many Indus sites, including ones that are buried beneath modern cities and may never be discovered. One such potentially large settlement is Lakheen-Jo-Daro, sometimes also called Lakhan Jo Daro, bits of which have been found in and around the modern city of Sukkur, Sindh, on the Indus River, just across the monumental chert deposits in the Rohri Hills. >

Faience from the Indus Valley Civilization

Jonathan Mark Kenoyer

A wide variety of faience ornaments including beads, bangles and jewelry have been retrieved from the major ancient cities of Mohenjo-daro, Harappa and Chanhudaro, located in Pakistan. >

Shell Trade and Shell Working During the Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic at Mehrgarh, Pakistan

Jonathan Mark Kenoyer

AIthough the presence of a specialized shell industry and the widespread use of shell are well documented at sites of the Indus Civilization (2500-1750 B.C.), the early stages of this industry were not known until recent excavations at the site of Mehrgarh, Pakistan. >

The Ravi Phase: A New Cultural Manifestation at Harappa

Jonathan Mark Kenoyer

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. >

Craft Traditions of the Indus Civilization and their Legacy in Modern Pakistan

Jonathan Mark Kenoyer

Recent studies have shown that the systematic analysis of the Indus craft traditions can provide a unique insight into the social and economic organization of this society. >

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. >

Towards a Geo-Archaeology of Craft at Moenjo-daro

Massimo Vidale

This paper studies the formation of craft activity areas in Mohenjodaro. Since 1981, one of the key lines of research carried out by German and Italian archaeologists at Moenjodaro has been the surface evaluation of the craft activity areas of the archaeological complex. >

Associations and Ideologies in the Locations of Urban Craft Production at Harappa, Pakistan (Indus Civilization)

Heather M.L. Miller

In this article, Heather Miller explains how looking at craft production location with respect to civic organization provides insights into possible associations between crafts, as well as general Indus attitudes toward the placement of manufacturing within city centers. >