Technology

The Indus Bead Industry: Contributions to Bead Technology

Recent studies of the Indus Civilization and the developments that preceded it during the Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic in the Indus Valley and Baluchistan are revealing many new aspects of human culture in South Asia.

Read more about The Indus Bead Industry: Contributions to Bead Technology

Finds at Chanhu-daro

Dorothy Mackay

An article by Dorothy MacKay, wife of Ernest J.H. Mackay, describing excavations in 1935-36 at the ancient Indus manufacturing site of Chanhu-daro, 80 miles south of Mohenjo-daro. This illustrated July 1937 article from the popular US magazine Asia is a nice summary of the finds at this sophisticated ancient Indus site where, among other things, long carnelian beads, toys, seals and weights were made.

Read more about Finds at Chanhu-daro

Traditional Potters of India

Marilyn P. Beaudry

An examination of traditional pottery methods and practices in light of an exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. in 1987.

Read more about Traditional Potters of India

Patterns of Technology and the Organization of Production at Harappa

Rita P. Wright

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.

Read more about Patterns of Technology and the Organization of Production at Harappa

Harappan Craft Specialization and the Question of Urban Segregation and Stratification

Jonathan Mark Kenoyer

Defining specialized crafts in Indus cities and the methodologies needed for studying crafts in an archaeological context.

Read more about Harappan Craft Specialization and the Question of Urban Segregation and Stratification

Early Beadmakers of the Indus Tradition

Massimo Vidale

This paper examines a reconstruction of the techniques used by the ancient beadmakers for the production of 'steatite' beads in Mehrgarh (Pakistan) during the fifth century (BCE). Additionally, it includes an in-depth analysis of the methodologies and modern technologies employed in the comparative

Read more about Early Beadmakers of the Indus Tradition

Chaîne Opératoire in the Study of Stratified Societies

Massimo Vidale

This paper discusses some theoretical questions and present some observations on the role of ethnoarchaeological studies of craft production in contemporary stratified social contexts, in the study of protohistoric societies.

Read more about Chaîne Opératoire in the Study of Stratified Societies

On the Development of Indus Technical Virtuosity and Its Relation to Social Structure

Massimo Vidale

Indus craftsmanship of small objects and articles and the patterns of intricacies and experimentation in their production -- or Indus Valley technical virtuosity. The paper covers a thorough classification of artifacts and trends in their production over time.

Read more about On the Development of Indus Technical Virtuosity and Its Relation to Social Structure

Carnelian Bead Production in Khambat, India: An Ethnoarchaeological Study

Jonathan Mark Kenoyer

An overview of the important technological and organization aspects of the carnelian bead industry that will be useful in developing interpretive models regarding the role of agate bead production in early urban societies.

Read more about Carnelian Bead Production in Khambat, India: An Ethnoarchaeological Study

The paste plaques and cylinders of Chanhudaro: A descriptive report

Massimo Vidale

As part of his 1935-36 excavation report on Chanhudaro, Ernest Mackay has a section on "Paste Plaques and Cylinders," two types of objects that were made of the same material, and were found in large quantities and occurring together across the excavated area of Mound II. The material was "...white, porous...with a texture like a fine pumice but sufficiently friable to be scraped away easily with the finger nail."

Read more about The paste plaques and cylinders of Chanhudaro: A descriptive report

Search form

Pages