A Stone Bead Production Complex from the Beginning of the Indus Civilization at Chanhu-Daro (Sindh, Pakistan)

Authors

Florine Marchand Université de Liège, Belgium Author
Aurore Didier CNRS-UMR7041 – Archéologies et Sciences de l’Antiquité, Nanterre, France Author
David Sarmiento-Castillo IRD UMR208-Patrimoines Locaux, Environnement et Globalisation, MAFBI–Mission Archéologique Française du Bassin de l’Indus Author
Zakir Khan Department of Archeology and Museums, Government of Balochistan, Pakistan Author
Ali K Lashari Culture, Tourism, Antiquities & Archives Department, Government of Sindh, Pakistan Author

Chanhu-daro, Indus Civilization, Lapidaries, Lithic technology, Specialization

Between 2016 and 2020, a massive stone bead workshop associated to dwelling units was

discovered at Chanhu-daro site (Trench 2 and 3) and dated to the first period of the Indus

Civilization (2600/2500-2300 BCE). A huge amount of different raw materials (e.g. flint, steatite,

agate, carnelian, jasper, ernestite) was processed and debitage wastes of both knapping and cutting

activities were identified. Tools for manufacturing, perforating or polishing the stone beads (e.g.

blades, drills/borers, polishers, hammers, pressure flaker) - some of them unique and exceptionally

preserved – were found together. Several beads roughouts, preforms, and finished products were

also documented. For the first time (so-far) contextualized data about an intensive craft production

from the first Indus period will be discussed. The evidence found at Chanhu-daro site will help

reconstructing the whole stone beads manufacturing processes and investigating the related

technical system