Chanhu-daro Lapidaries: An Insight on the First Indus Period Craftsmen’s Production through Techno-Functional Approaches

Résumé En

Between 2016 and 2022, massive stone bead workshops associated to dwelling units were discovered at Chanhu-daro (Excavations 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 and others) 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 flakers) - some of them unique and exceptionally preserved – were found together. Several beads roughouts, preforms, and finished products were also documented. For the first time, 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 bead manufacturing processes and investigating the related technical system.