excavations at harappa: new instrumentations and their potential
TRANSCRIPT
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Excavations at Harappa: New Instrumentations and
their Potential for Archaeology
Special thanks to Dr. Mayank Vahia and his staff for organizing this conference. Also thanks to the ICTS and TIFR for their support for improving the scientific study of the past in India and globally.
George F. Dales
Thanks to the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Govt. of Pakistan for inviting us to work at Harappa and for all the assistance over the years. And to the Archaeological Survey of India for providing access to records and photos of the earlier excavations. And all members of the HARP team starting from 1986, who have assisted in the survey, excavation, documentation and analysis of the materials from the cemetery. Grants from the Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic Society, National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, the University of Wisconsin, Harvard University-Peabody Museum, New York University and contributions from HARAPPA.COM, Global Heritage Fund and private individuals.
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The Indus Civilization is contemporaneous with other early state level societies – but it has some unique and challenging issues
Using both traditional and new scientific analyses - major advances have been made in our understanding of the origins of the Indus and its relationships with surrounding regions.
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Cultural Traditions Framework Prehistoric Cultural Traditions Bactro-Margiana, Helmand, Baluchistan, INDUS, Malwa, Ganga-Vindhya, Deccan, etc.
Indo-Gangetic Tradition Includes the Pre-Mauryan Early Historic Tradition, Mauryan Empire and its related regions,
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Major Issues & solutions for Contemporary Archaeology
Challenges/Questions
Theoretical Framework Methodology
Instrumentation
India
Chronology
Culture History Processual Approaches
Survey, Excavation, Sampling, Dating, Texts, Numismatics
C 14 (AMS) Tree Ring Dating
Yes No
Thermo-luminescence (TL) Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL)
Yes No
What other approaches can we develop?
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Harappa dates pertain primarily to the internal chronology of the site and the Punjab region. Comparative artifact analysis along with dates must be undertaken in each region to establish a regionally defined Indus chronology.
Radiocarbon dates From Harappa Hakra/Ravi Phase - 12 Kot Diji Phase - 27 Harappa Phase - 74 Late Harappa Phase - 8 Historical - 3 Total - 124
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General Chronology : Indus Tradition Localization Era 1900 to 1300 B.C. Harappa Period 5 (Late Harappan/Cemetery H)
1800-<1700 B.C. Harappa Period 4 (Late Harappan) 1900-1800 B.C. Integration Era 2600 to 1900 B.C. Harappa Period 3C 2200-1900 B.C. Harappa Period 3B 2450-2200 B.C. Harappa Period 3A 2600-2450 B.C. Regionalization Era circa 5000 to 2600 B.C. Harappa Period 2 (Kot Dijian) 35/3300-2600 B.C. Harappa Period 1A/B (Hakra/Ravi) 4000-3500 B.C. Early Food Producing Era circa + 7000 to 5000 B.C.
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Mound E, northwest corner 1988-1990, earliest levels represent the Ravi period occupation
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Harappa panorama during Period 3C, 2200-1900 BC, maximum extent and highest density of occupation
Harappan Cemetery R 37 and Area G
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Male burial with beads
OSL dating of sediments in burials
Dating of bone that has minimal organic preservation
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The burial of individual 148A involved the destruction of the burial of individual 156a whose decayed coffin was partly removed and the bones were dumped in a pile in the middle of the pit, the burial pottery was also damaged in re-excavating the grave pit - beginning of Period 3C based on PBGs & dates
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Period 3B Period 3C
Period 3C
Period 3B
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Harappa Period 4/5 Kiln, Trench 43
Tree ring dating needed for developing regional calibrations of C 14 dates
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Localization Era: Late Harappan – highly variable in each region – need more accurate dating Punjab Phase = Cemetery H Culture 1900-1300 BC (or 1000 in Ganga region)
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Survey
Site, Regional, Geographical Ecological, Question Driven
Physical Direct and Indirect, micro, macro, supra regional
Pedestrian, Theodolite/Total Station, etc
Yes
Aerial – high and low altitude
Not Accessible
Satellite - Landsat, Google Earth, etc
Not Accessible
Remote Sensing – Geomagnetic, Electric Resistivity and Conductivity, GPR, etc
Not Common
Laser mapping - Lidar, etc
Not Common
Challenges/Questions
Theoretical Framework Methodology Instrumentation India
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Mound E SW Surface Survey Dec. 2006 locations mapped on master site map
Mound E SW
Pyramidal faience token
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Surface Finds turned in by workmen – no provenience but general site area known
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Rajanpur, was first reported by Muhammad Hasan - current curator of Harappa museum during the Punjab Survey
Rajanpur 77 km northeast of Harappa on the west bank of the Ravi
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Rajanpur Survey and Mapping using tape measures and theodolite – highly accurate and can be combined with surface survey and collection
Basic survey methods and manual contour mapping require individuals to be aware of what they are measuring more intimately
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Rajanpur Contour map - 110 x 130 meters - 3 meters deposit on the south - 4.5 meters above the plain - around 1.5 hectares - but more mounded areas may lie under the modern village to the north – this could not be determined without excavation
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Randall Law – Archaeological and Geoarchaeological Gazetteer.
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Excavation Culture Historical
Physical direct, sampling, large scale
trained excavation staff Yes
Question Driven
trained documentation staff Yes trained conservation staff Yes
Challenges/Questions
Theoretical Framework Methodology Instrumentation India
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Trench 54 Excavation areas - 2001 section and excavations in 2007
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Trench 54: Harappan Fired Brick Wall -Period 3B -3C
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Student Training - Punjab University, Khairpur University, Hazara University, University of Wisconsin
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Mound E Northwest Corner and western extent of walls Period 2 and 3
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Mound E city wall and sample trenches used to trace the structure
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Mound E Western and Southern City Wall
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HARAPPA 2000/2001 WorkshopsE
ARTIFACT TYPE 54Percent
INLAY-STEATITE (94) 2 0.04BEAD FINISHED-STEATITE 879 15.75Steatite Bead Manufacturing Waste 295 5.28Agate/Other Beads 171 3.06Agate Manufacturing waste 424 7.60Stone Inlay Manufacturing waste 3 0.05Gold Bead/Frags 47 0.84Finished Amulet 40 0.72Unfinished Amulet 6 0.11Steatite Seal/Tablet 21 0.38Inscribed Objects 66 1.18Unifinished steatite seal 0 0.00
0.00CHERT/STONE WEIGHT 14 0.25CHERT UNFINISHED WEIGHT 4 0.07STONE SCULPTURE (98) 0 0.00
0.00DRILL/PERCOIR 211 3.78CONST. CYLINDRICAL DRILL (93) 0 0.00ERNESTITE DRILL MFG. WASTE (94) 1 0.02
0.00Retouched tools 1266 22.68ED Chert 473 8.47Chert debitage 916 16.41CORE 15 0.27
0.00HAMMERSTONE 207 3.71
0.00MISC MINERAL 12 0.21Stone Objects 78 1.40Stone Manufacturing waste 139 2.49Ground stone tools 292 5.23
5582 100.00
Excavations result in artifacts that need to be correlated with structures and periods
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Challenges/Questions
Theoretical Framework Methodology Instrumentation India
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Harappan phase- 2600-1900 BC - riverine trade and local agro-pastoralism supported the rise of prosperous cities - surrounded by mud brick walls, with baked brick facing and fired brick gateways
Harappa
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Dried up Ravi river and modern Harappa built on top of ancient mounds
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Mohenjo Daro possible location of river during the Harappan period - 2600-1900 BC
Present bed of the Indus river
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Kutch Trade routes for shell and agate nodules and finished goods Dholavira
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Challenges/Questions
Theoretical Framework Methodology Instrumentation India
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Mohenjodaro
Melongenidae bucephala
Lambis Truncta Sebae Cowries and Conus
Pinctada, mother of pearl Turbinella pyrum
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Multiple levels of exchange Extra- regional – between cities and distant resource areas Long distance – international – between distant culture regions such as Central Asia, the Gulf region, Mesopotamia
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Mehrgarh – crossroads of trade between the Baluchistan and the Indus valley plains!
Mehrgarh burialsShell bangles, steatite beads, stone bead anklets T. pyrum
Engina mendicaria
Conus Sp.
Spondylus Sp.
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Indus Valley Sites Indus Valley Sites
Makran Shell Trade
Indus Shell Trade
Lapis Trade
Turquoise Trade
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Generalized trade networks based on visual characterization of marine shell and minerals
Ravi Phase Rock and Mineral Networks supplying Harappa. Research and map by Randall Law 2008 – using multiple methods of scientific analysis