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Excavations at Harappa: New Instrumentations and Their Potential for Archaeology

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Excavations at Harappa: New Instrumentations and Their Potential for Archaeology 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. 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. 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, Major Issues & solutions for Contemporary Archaeology Challenges/ Theoretical Questions Framework Methodology Instrumentation India Culture Survey, History Excavation, C 14 (AMS) Yes Chronology Processual Sampling, Approaches Dating, Texts, Tree Ring Dating No Numismatics Thermo- luminescence (TL) Yes What other approaches Optically Stimulated can we develop? Luminescence No (OSL) Radiocarbon dates From Harappa Hakra/Ravi Phase - 12 Kot Diji Phase - 27 Harappa Phase - 74 Late Harappa Phase - 8 Historical - 3 Total - 124 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. 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. Mound E, northwest corner 1988-1990, earliest levels represent the Ravi period occupation Harappa panorama during Period 3C, 2200-1900 BC, maximum extent and highest density of occupation Harappan Cemetery R 37 and Area G OSL dating of sediments in burials Male burial with beads Dating of bone that has minimal organic preservation 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 Period 3B Period 3C Period 3B Period 3C Harappa Period 4/5 Kiln, Trench 43 Tree ring dating needed for developing regional calibrations of C 14 dates 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) Challenges/ Theoretical Questions Framework Methodology Instrumentation India Survey Site, Regional, Pedestrian, Yes Geographical Physical Direct Theodolite/Total Ecological, and Indirect, Station, etc Question micro, macro, Driven supra regional Aerial – high and Not low altitude Accessible Satellite - Landsat, Not Google Earth, etc Accessible Remote Sensing – Geomagnetic, Electric Resistivity Not and Conductivity, Common GPR, etc Laser mapping - Not Lidar, etc Common Mound E SW Surface Survey Dec. 2006 locations mapped on master site map Pyramidal faience token Surface Finds turned in by workmen – no provenience but general site area known 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 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 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 Randall Law – Archaeological and Geoarchaeological Gazetteer. Challenges/ Theoretical Questions Framework Methodology Instrumentation India Physical direct, Culture sampling, trained excavation Excavation Historical large scale staff Yes trained Question documentation Driven staff Yes trained conservation staff Yes Trench 54 Excavation areas - 2001 section and excavations in 2007 Trench 54: Harappan Fired Brick Wall -Period 3B -3C Student Training - Punjab University, Khairpur University, Hazara University, University of Wisconsin Mound E Northwest Corner and western extent of walls Period 2 and 3 Mound E city wall and sample trenches used to trace the structure Mound E Western and Southern City Wall HARAPPA 2000/2001 Workshops E Excavations result in artifacts ARTIFACT TYPE 54 that need to be correlated with Percent INLAY-STEATITE (94) 2 0.04 structures and periods BEAD FINISHED-STEATITE 879 15.75 Steatite Bead Manufacturing Waste 295 5.28 Agate/Other Beads 171 3.06 Agate Manufacturing waste 424 7.60 Stone Inlay Manufacturing waste 3 0.05 Gold Bead/Frags 47 0.84 Finished Amulet 40 0.72 Unfinished Amulet 6 0.11 Steatite Seal/Tablet 21 0.38 Inscribed Objects 66 1.18 Unifinished steatite seal 0 0.00 0.00 CHERT/STONE WEIGHT 14 0.25 CHERT UNFINISHED WEIGHT 4 0.07 STONE SCULPTURE (98) 0 0.00 0.00 DRILL/PERCOIR 211 3.78 CONST. CYLINDRICAL DRILL (93) 0 0.00 ERNESTITE DRILL MFG. WASTE (94) 1 0.02 0.00 Retouched tools 1266 22.68 ED Chert 473 8.47 Chert debitage 916 16.41 CORE 15 0.27 0.00 HAMMERSTONE 207 3.71 0.00 MISC MINERAL 12 0.21 Stone Objects 78 1.40 Stone Manufacturing waste 139 2.49 Ground stone tools 292 5.23 5582 100.00 Challenges/ Theoretical Questions Framework Methodology Instrumentation India en i i tvv ii v E vE i nE t vinmr tv v nE d iv n v tvv i iv tv v Harappa 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 Dried up Ravi river and modern Harappa built on top of ancient mounds Mohenjo Daro possible location of river during the Harappan period - 2600-1900 BC Present bed of the Indus river Kutch Trade routes for shell and agate Dholavira nodules and finished goods Challenges/ Theoretical Questions Framework Methodology Instrumentation India n t n r v n e m vr tv im v ne n i na r n t m n v i in i n En vv i vv d d i i vv Mohenjodaro Lambis Truncta Sebae Cowries and Conus Pinctada, Melongenidae bucephala Turbinella pyrum mother of pearl 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 Mehrgarh – crossroads of trade Spondylus Sp. between the Baluchistan and the Indus valley plains! Mehrgarh burialsShell bangles, steatite beads, stone Conus Sp. bead anklets T. pyrum Engina mendicaria Turquoise Trade Lapis Trade Makran Indus Shell Shell Trade Trade Indus Valley Sites 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.
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