Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c10.s1: Mehargarh

Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c10.s1

Language: English

Mehargarh

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The site of Mehargarh is located in the northern region of Kachhi plains, at the foot of Bolan pass in Baluchistan, Pakistan. The French Archaeological Mission started excavations in 1974, and the diggings have brought to light a continuous sequence of occupation ranging from the seventh millennium BC to the middle of the third millennium BC (Table 2.2). So far this is the only site which has revealed such continuous sequence of cultures in Baluchistan.

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The cultural sequence of Mehargarh is as follows. There are altogether seven periods. The first period, i.e., Mehargarh I is aceramic neolithic settlement dated seventh millenium BC. Mehargarh II is ceramic neolithic dated sixth-fifth millenium BC. Mehargarh III is early chalcolithic settlement dated first half of the fourth millennium BC; Mehargarh IV is advanced chalcolithic settlement dated from the middle of fourth millennium BC. Mehargarh V is a transition period dated third quarter of the fourth millennium BC, Mehargarh VI is Early Bronze settlement (towns) dated from the end of fourth millennium BC and beginning of the third millennium BC, and Mehargarh VII is advanced bronze age settlement dated middle of the third millennium BC.

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Table 2.1

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Early Dates of the Pre-Harappan Sites (MASCA BC)

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Table 2.2

Mehargarh Phases

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| Period | Dates (millennium BC) | Special Features |
| Ia-c | 7th-6th | Pre-ceramic neolithic culture; human figurines; 20,000 flint tools, grinding stones, barley, wheat, cereal cultivation, cakes of red ochre, beads of shell, turquoise, *lapis lazuli*, a cylindrical shaped copper bead. Sea-shell belt. |
| II | 6th-5th | Workshop for soapstone beads, flint drills, waste flakes, beads of shell, use of red ochre. Copper ring and bead. |
| III | 1st half 4th | Earliest used green cylindrical jasper drills and micro-drills for *lapis lazuli*, turquoise and carnelian beads. Stone implements. First evidence of metallurgy. Several crucibles used for melting copper-some metal still adhering. |
| IV | Middle 4th | Wheel-thrown pottery. Female figurines. |
| V | End 4th | Use of white pigment. |
| VI | Beginning 3rd | Mass production of pottery. Figurines on terracotta. Pottery kilns, Semi-industrial for a large market. Double spiral headed copper/bronze pin. *Pipal* leaves painted on red ware. More specialized female figurines. Terracotta bulls. |
| VII | Middle 3rd 2700-2500 BC | Grave with skeletons. Beads of kaolin, carnelian and *lapis lazuli*. Zhob mother goddess. Figure of a ram carved from alabaster, Kot Dijian pottery. Advanced Bronze Age. |

Lithic Objects

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From Period I comes the first evidence of lithic tools; stone tools including grinding stones and small flint blades and flakes are found. The artefacts recovered from Period I are most abundant — flint tools alone are 20,000 in number. Geometrically shaped flint bladelets such as trapezes and triangles represent 4 per cent of the total. In the Period III the number of lithic tools was increased. Stone implements including blades, bladelets, burins, notched blades, truncated blades, borers, sickles, ring-stones and grinding stones are of prominence. This is again found in the Period VI; almost the same lithic materials have been brought to light with a few microliths added with it. Thus the lithic industry survived at the site till the middle of third millennium BC. Flint implement included blades, bladelets, microliths, sickle elements, lunates, triangles, trapezes, burins, scrapers and drills. On the whole, the excavations at Mehargarh has unearthed 2052 stone objects. Of the total assemblage tools, cores and waste constitute 13.32 per cent (276), 2.77 per cent (57) and 83.36 per cent (1721) respectively.

Gem Minerals

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At Mehargarh, gem minerals are noticed from the very early Period. In the Period I, the gem minerals have been marked, although very little in quantity. In this level, among the grave goods, beads have been unearthed. These beads are made out of various local stones and imported turquoise. Sometimes a basket coated with bitumen was included and placed near the body filled with perishable goods. Apart from this, there were personal ornaments also, such as string of beads, several of them made of imported turquoise and lapis lazuli. In the Period II, although no such evidences of bead has been found, yet one interesting thing, viz., a workshop where beads were manufactured out of soapstone has been uncovered. The flint drills and wasted flakes conclusively prove the presence of local industrial workshops. Beads were indeed found in different manufacturing stages. Beads made out of shell were also recovered. An open space was found covered with layers of animal bones mixed with ashes. The space yielded more than 100 bone awls and several grooved stones used in shaping their points. The area clearly shows certain characteristics of an industrial establishment. A workshop for soapstone beads was established in Period II. Flint drills and waste flakes were noticed.

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In the Period III crafts show marked development; lapis lazuli, turquoise and carnelian were worked into beads with green cylindrical jasper drills. The jasper bits of this period are the earliest specimen known of a type that was used later during the third millennium BC at Shahr-i-Sokhta, Shahdad and at Chanhu-Daro. These are some very fine micro-drills indicating the use of low-drills working and engraving ornaments in shell.

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After the two barren periods, viz., Period IV and V, the evidence of the use of gem minerals comes in the Period VI. In this period both beads of lapis lazuli and turquoise have been found. In the next period some grave goods included one necklace of white baked kaolin beads alternating with carnelian and lapis lazuli beads and bracelets of white tiny beads. The Period VIII is a post-pre-Harappan level. Its remains have largely been found in the graveyards with objects of semi-precious stones.

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Thus, it is found that Mehargarh has yielded lapis beads from pre-ceramic neolithic levels to Pre-Harappan chalcolithic levels. In the Period III (chalcolithic levels) of Mehargarh we have ample evidence of lapis working. Like lapis lazuli, turquoise was also an important item of luxury. There was a workshop of turquoise at Mehargarh. So it is found that these two gem minerals were very much used and even processed by the inhabitants of Mehargarh.

Metals

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The first evidence of metal at Mehargarh comes from the Period I which yielded one cylindrical shaped copper bead. In the second period also, the metal remains showed one copper ring and one copper bead. No evidence of any metallurgical activities was however obtained.

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It was Period III which brought a real change at Mehargarh as far as metallurgy is concerned. During this period the pottery was mass produced. Metal production is evident here by findings of the fragments of several crucibles that had been used to melt copper. Traces of the metal still adhered to them. In the next two phases the metal findings were limited. In the Period VI we have one chisel, one flat axe and double spiral headed copper/bronze pins.