Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c10.s3.t3.7

v1.c10.s3.t3.7

M.R. Mughal (1982 a, b) conducted in Pakistan a major programme of archaeological investigations into 414 sites in the Cholistan Desert of the former Bahawalpur state through which ran the Rgvedic Sarasvati river known as Hakra in Pakistan. Of the 414 sites, 99 belonged to the fourth millennium BC. Hakra ware or Jalilpur I Phase, 40 were early third millennium BC Pre- or Early-Harappan-cum-Kot Dijian ware phase and 174 represented Mature-Harappan Phase. During the Early- or Pre-Harappan Phase the main focus of occupation shifted from Kalibangan (in India) to south-west towards Fort Abbas and Yazman (on the Pakistan side). The settlements became larger as in Gamanwala (27.3 hectares, half the size of Harappa) and multifunctional — separating residential and industrial activities. During the Mature-Harappan period this trend continued. There was a further shift towards the south-west — maximum number of sites centering around Derawar Fort. Ganweriwala site (81.5 hectares), was closer to and as big as Mohenjo-Daro. Many sites were demarcated exclusively for craft activities such as the firing of pottery, bricks, small terracotta objects, the glazing of faience objects and the melting and fabrication of copper objects. At the Siddhuwala Ther, located near Derawar, Sir Aurel Stein had found a number of kilns and a copper ingot. The source of the copper metal was presumably the Ganeshwar-Jodhpura area in Rajasthan.