The Kachi Plain, in modern-day Pakistan, is hemmed in on two of its three sides by the mountains of Baluchistan, while its southeastern side opens up to the Indus Valley.
[1]
The earliest evidence for agriculture here was found in Mehrgarh and dates to 7000 BCE. It is impossible to say whether Mehrgarh was part of a wider network of agricultural communities in the region, or whether it was unique and/or isolated. Besides agriculture, the inhabitants of Mehrgarh also relied, at this time, on hunting and gathering, but not yet on pastoralism.
[2]
Population and political organization
It is not possible to give an accurate estimate of the region’s population at this time,
[3]
and the size of occupied Mehrgarh is uncertain, as the population shifted over time and part of the site has been cut away by the Bolan River.
[4]
Similarly, the literature does not provide many clues as to the political organization of Mehrgarh or any other site in the region at this time.
[1]: (Jarrige & Enault 1976, 29) Jarrige, Jean-François, and Jean-François Enault. 1976. “Fouilles de Pirak - Baluchistan.” Arts Asiatiques 32 (1): 29-70. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/Q32UJUPX.
[2]: (McIntosh 2008, 57-61) McIntosh, Jane. 2008. The Ancient Indus Valley. Santa Barbara; Denver; Oxford: ABC-CLIO. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/5P92SHE8.
[3]: (Possehl 1999, 472) Possehl, Gregory L. 1999. Indus Age: The Beginnings. New Delhi: Oxford & IBH Publishing. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/IWNUD7IH.
[4]: (Jarrige 2013, 135-154) Jarrige, J.-F. 2013. Mehrgarh Neolithic. Paris: Éditions de Boccard. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/4MKZA34B.
| none |
| Kachi Plain - Ceramic Neolithic |
| Succeeding: Kachi Plain - Ceramic Neolithic (pk_kachi_lnl) [continuity] |
| quasi-polity |
| Absent |
| Absent |
| Absent |
| inferred Absent |
| Absent |
| inferred Absent |
| Absent |
| Absent |
| inferred Absent |
| Absent |
| absent |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Year Range | Kachi Plain - Aceramic Neolithic (pk_kachi_enl) was in: |
|---|---|
| (7500 BCE 5501 BCE) | Kachi Plain |
As Mehrgarh I is not a polity, but a quasi-polity, Mehrgarh is not a capital. It is however both the best studied and archaeologically richest site.
7500-5500 BCE: Mehrgarh I. The beginning of Mehrgarh I is based on newer dates which suggest that settlement and food production began well before 7000 BCE as originally thought. [1] Earliest occupation at Mehrgarh was identified in the so-called area MR 3 (7 m of stratified deposits). These levels seem to not yield ceramic materials; however, fired ceramic figurines and asphalt-covered baskets are found. [2]
[1]: Jarrige, J.-F. (1991) Mehrgarh: its place in the development of ancient cultures in Pakisan. In, Jansen, M., et al (eds.) Forgotten cities on the Indus: early civilization in Pakistan from the 8th-2nd millennium BC.p. 142
[2]: Jarrige et al. (eds.), Mehrgarh: Field Reports, 57; Jarrige et al., ‘Mehrgarh Neolithic: the updated sequence’, 131, fig. 2; Jarrige et al., Mehrgarh: Neolithic Period; Jarrige, ‘Mehrgarh Neolithic: new excavations’; Jarrige, ‘Human figurines’; also Shaffer, ‘Indus valley’, vol. I, 454; G.L. Possehl, Indus Age: The Beginnings (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999), 464.
With limited archaeological (and no literary) evidence, it is not clear what sort of polity (or polities) were present at this time.
[1]
The earliest sedentary populations in South Asia thus appear to have been relatively small, and to have favoured specific ecological zones for the establishment of their settlements. In this earliest stage, it is likely that sedentary populations co-existed with hunter gatherers, and at least at Mehrgarh, it appears that the initial farming populations also engaged in hunting.
[2]
[1]: Rita Wright: The Ancient Indus: Urbanism, Economy and Society; Cambridge: CUP, 2010, pp. 79-105
[2]: Petrie, C. A. (in press) Chapter 11, Case Study: Mehrgarh. In, Barker, G and Goucher, C (eds.) Cambridge World History, Volume 2: A World with Agriculture, 12,000 BCE - 500 CE. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge
The size of occupied Mehrgarh is uncertain, as the population shifted over time and part of the site has been cut away by the Bolan River. [1] . A. Ceccarelli [2] confirms that it is not easy to estimate the population of Mehrgarh at this time because it is not clear how much of the site was inhabited at any given moment. As for burial data, "We do not yet know to what degree the excavated area may represent the whole graveyard and to what extent the burials reflect the actualliving population." [3] However, "The total area is likely to be at least twelve hectares, however, including that which has been washed away by the Balan River. Such an expanse of cultural remains is difficult ta interpret until it is made clear that these deposits, in fact, do not represent the remains a permanent senlement. Only in the central part the senlement are superimposed architectural remains visible in the section cut by the Balan River and in the sections exposed in the soundings." [4] If we assume that between 4 and 12 hectares were occupied at any one time, and that there were about 50 inhabitants per hectare, then perhaps the site was inhabited by between 400 and 600 inhabitants.
[1]: Jarrige, J. F. (2008). Mehrgarh neolithic. Pragdhara, 18, 135-154.
[2]: Alessandro Ceccarelli, pers. comm. to E. Cioni, Feb 2017
[3]: (Sellier 1995: 430) Pascal Sellier. 1995. ’Physical Anthropology’ in Mehrgarh, edited by Catherine Jarrige, Jean-Francois Jarrige, Richard H. Meadow, and Gonzague Quivron. Karachi: Dept. of Culture and Tourism, Govt. of Sindh ; in collaboration with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
[4]: (Jarrige 1995: 366) Catherine Jarrige, Jean-Francois Jarrige, Richard H. Meadow, and Gonzague Quivron. 1995. Mehrgarh. Karachi: Dept. of Culture and Tourism, Govt. of Sindh ; in collaboration with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
levels. Territorial polities cannot be assumed to have existed at this point. It is also worth noting that it is not clear how much of the site Mehgarh was inhabited at any one time
[1]
.
1. ?Mehrgarh2. ?Villages
Village farming community begins at least by 7th millennium BCE.
[2]
[1]: Alessandro Ceccarelli, pers. comm. to E. Cioni, Feb 2017
[2]: (Ahmed 2014, 312)
levels. Clay figurines have been found but there is no evidence for a religious hierarchy at Mehrgarh.
[1]
“At Mehrgarh human figurines are miniature works of art in clay. The earliest human figurines in Periods I are seated or standing and schematically represented. They were formed from a single piece of clay, with minimal representation of arms and legs; a few were adorned with necklaces and belts applied to the basic figure. Some were decorated with red ochre. In general, they range in size from 1.5 to 10 centimeters. Many of the figurines have feminine characteristics - realistic breasts; one standing figure bears the hint of genitalia and is obviously male (Jarrige 2005: 30-31). Catherine Jarrige (1991, 2005) conducted extensive study of the Mehrgarh figurines. As she points out, their frequent presence in trash deposits gives the impression they were discarded haphazardly. However, there are several clues that may lead to an understanding of their significance to the people at Mehrgarh. One is reflected in the locations of trash deposits. Since many of the deposits are found in household areas, they may represent a domestic cult, perhaps associated with “representations of tutelary deities for the family, the clan or a relevant profession” (Jarrige 1991: 92). Another possibility is their use for magical practices, as is frequently the case in agrarian societies (Jarrige 1991: 92). The recent discovery of one of the pierced human figurines in a grave from Period I, in which the figurine was held to the dead woman’s face in clasped hands, may indicate something about the role she played in society (Jarrige 2005: 34).
[1]: Petrie, C. A. (in press) Chapter 11, Case Study: Mehrgarh. In, Barker, G and Goucher, C (eds.) Cambridge World History, Volume 2: A World with Agriculture, 12,000 BCE - 500 CE. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge
levels. “Agriculture and herding were well established by the beginning of Stage Two and some subsistence surpluses were possible. The excavators think that this does not imply that we can reconstruct the social stratigraphy that would be associated with an archaic state, but some internal differentiation of the Stage Two society is possible, in view of the sophistication of craft production documented at Mehrgarh.” [1]
[1]: Agrawal, D. P. (2007) The Indus Civilization: An interdisciplinary perspective. Aryan Books International: New Delhi.
Clay figurines have been found but there is no evidence for a professional priesthood at Mehrgarh. [1] .
[1]: Petrie, C. A. (in press) Chapter 11, Case Study: Mehrgarh. In, Barker, G and Goucher, C (eds.) Cambridge World History, Volume 2: A World with Agriculture, 12,000 BCE - 500 CE. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge
No evidence for employment specialization characteristic of a developed urban society. Agricultural and herding would be typical occupations with "some internal differentiation ... in view of the sophistication of craft production documented at Mehrgarh.” [1]
[1]: Agrawal, D. P. (2007) The Indus Civilization: An interdisciplinary perspective. Aryan Books International: New Delhi.
No evidence for employment specialization characteristic of a developed urban society. Agricultural and herding would be typical occupations with "some internal differentiation ... in view of the sophistication of craft production documented at Mehrgarh.” [1]
[1]: Agrawal, D. P. (2007) The Indus Civilization: An interdisciplinary perspective. Aryan Books International: New Delhi.
No evidence for employment specialization characteristic of a developed urban society. Agricultural and herding would be typical occupations with "some internal differentiation ... in view of the sophistication of craft production documented at Mehrgarh.” [1]
[1]: Agrawal, D. P. (2007) The Indus Civilization: An interdisciplinary perspective. Aryan Books International: New Delhi.
No evidence for employment specialization characteristic of a developed urban society. Agricultural and herding would be typical occupations with "some internal differentiation ... in view of the sophistication of craft production documented at Mehrgarh.” [1]
[1]: Agrawal, D. P. (2007) The Indus Civilization: An interdisciplinary perspective. Aryan Books International: New Delhi.
No evidence for employment specialization characteristic of a developed urban society. Agricultural and herding would be typical occupations with "some internal differentiation ... in view of the sophistication of craft production documented at Mehrgarh.” [1]
[1]: Agrawal, D. P. (2007) The Indus Civilization: An interdisciplinary perspective. Aryan Books International: New Delhi.
No evidence for employment specialization characteristic of a developed urban society. Agricultural and herding would be typical occupations with "some internal differentiation ... in view of the sophistication of craft production documented at Mehrgarh.” [1]
[1]: Agrawal, D. P. (2007) The Indus Civilization: An interdisciplinary perspective. Aryan Books International: New Delhi.
Evidence for trade bringing exotic raw materials such as lapis lazuli to Mehrgarh indicates that long-range contacts were maintained over several millennia, so there should be no doubt that this earliest phase of village occupation in South Asia was one where people and ideas could be spread widely. While several of the domesticated plant and animal species seen at Mehrgarh in period I were not domesticated locally, it is not yet possible to establish whether we are looking at cultural diffusion, where farming was adopted by local foragers, demic diffusion, where farmers moved onto the Kacchi plain from elsewhere, or some combination of the two processes taking place in tandem. [1] There is also evidence for long-distance trade of shell artefacts [2]
[1]: Petrie, C., 2015. Mehrgarh, Pakistan, in The Cambridge World History, Volume 2: A World with Agriculture, 12,000 BCE-500 CE.
[2]: (Kenoyer 1995: 566-582) Jonathan Mark Kenoyer. 1995. ’Shell trade and shell working during the Neolithic and Chalcolithic at Mehrgarh, Pakistan’ in Mehrgarh, edited by Catherine Jarrige, Jean-Francois Jarrige, Richard H. Meadow, and Gonzague Quivron. Karachi: Dept. of Culture and Tourism, Govt. of Sindh ; in collaboration with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Evidence for irrigation technology does not appear to predate the Chalcolithic [1]
[1]: (Akhund and Haroon 1995: XII) Hameed Akhun and Hameed Haroon. 1995. ’Preface’ in Mehrgarh, edited by Catherine Jarrige, Jean-Francois Jarrige, Richard H. Meadow, and Gonzague Quivron. Karachi: Dept. of Culture and Tourism, Govt. of Sindh ; in collaboration with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Copper was present from Mehrgarh III [1] , but may not have been used as ’money’.
[1]: Petrie, C. A. (in press) Chapter 11, Case Study: Mehrgarh. In, Barker, G and Goucher, C (eds.) Cambridge World History, Volume 2: A World with Agriculture, 12,000 BCE - 500 CE. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge
There are no archaeological remains which can be interpreted as postal stations at Mehrgarh, and are therefore presumed absent. [1] No evidence for social structure that could have organized a postal system nor one what would have required one.
[1]: Jarrige, J. F. (2008). Mehrgarh neolithic. Pragdhara, 18, 135-154.
There are no archaeological remains which can be interpreted as postal stations at Mehrgarh, and are therefore presumed absent. [1] No evidence for social structure that could have organized a postal system nor one what would have required one.
[1]: Jarrige, J. F. (2008). Mehrgarh neolithic. Pragdhara, 18, 135-154.
Inferred lack of substantial circumvallation. [1] . The data for fortifications is inferred. Possehl states that before the Urban phase (i.e. 2600 BCE) for only 3 sites out of 463 Pre-Urban sites the archaeological evidence could potentially be interpreted as having some sort of substantial circumvallation. [1] .
[1]: (Gregory L. Possehl. ’Revolution in the Urban Revolution: The Emergence of Indus Urbanization’, Annual Review of Anthropology, vol. 19. (1990), p. 271)
Inferred absent from lack of evidence of significant warfare.
Not mentioned in detailed descriptions/lists of finds from Mehrgarh. "War technology is not well represented". [1] Only flint, bone and copper tools tools have been found at Mehrgarh [2]
[1]: (Kenoyer 1991: 347) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/A7DS8UKX/q/kenoyer.
[2]: Petrie, C. A. (in press) Chapter 11, Case Study: Mehrgarh. In, Barker, G and Goucher, C (eds.) Cambridge World History, Volume 2: A World with Agriculture, 12,000 BCE - 500 CE. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge
Not mentioned in detailed descriptions/lists of finds from Mehrgarh. "War technology is not well represented". [1] Only flint, bone and copper tools tools have been found at Mehrgarh [2]
[1]: (Kenoyer 1991: 347) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/A7DS8UKX/q/kenoyer.
[2]: Petrie, C. A. (in press) Chapter 11, Case Study: Mehrgarh. In, Barker, G and Goucher, C (eds.) Cambridge World History, Volume 2: A World with Agriculture, 12,000 BCE - 500 CE. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge
Not mentioned in detailed descriptions/lists of finds from Mehrgarh. "War technology is not well represented". [1] Only flint, bone and copper tools tools have been found at Mehrgarh [2]
[1]: (Kenoyer 1991: 347) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/A7DS8UKX/q/kenoyer.
[2]: Petrie, C. A. (in press) Chapter 11, Case Study: Mehrgarh. In, Barker, G and Goucher, C (eds.) Cambridge World History, Volume 2: A World with Agriculture, 12,000 BCE - 500 CE. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge
New World weapon. Only flint, bone and copper tools tools have been found at Mehrgarh [1]
[1]: Petrie, C. A. (in press) Chapter 11, Case Study: Mehrgarh. In, Barker, G and Goucher, C (eds.) Cambridge World History, Volume 2: A World with Agriculture, 12,000 BCE - 500 CE. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge
Not mentioned in detailed descriptions/lists of finds from Mehrgarh. "War technology is not well represented". [1] ground stone axe found in burial (Ahmed 2014, p. 316). - was this a battle axe? In one exceptional burial, a polished stone axe and three flint cores were placed in a basket and lay near the skull of the deceased. Sixteen blades from the same core were set in parallel rows along the spinal column [2]
[1]: (Kenoyer 1991: 347) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/A7DS8UKX/q/kenoyer.
[2]: (Jarrige et al. 1995: 246)
Evidence of armor made from organic materials has not been recovered from Mehrgarh.
Evidence of armor made from organic materials has not been recovered from Mehrgarh.
| Luxury Precious Metal: | Present |
| Place(s) of Provenance: | foreign |
| Consumption by Elite: | Inferred Present |
‘‘‘ copper. “The evidence for trade/exchange is primarily artifacts made from raw materials with restricted sources, such as marine shell, agate, carnelian, lapis lazuli, turquoise, colored cherts and jaspers, serpentine, steatite, and copper.” [Kenoyer 1991, p. 344] “The copper beads are annular and their diameters vary between 2·2 and 4·8 mm. Their average weight, in the present state of preservation, is 0·13 g. All the beads have been X-ray radiographed at the Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Muse´es de France, as a part of a larger research program on the development of early metallurgy in Protohistoric Balochistan (Haquet, forthcoming; Mille, forthcoming). The radiographic image clearly shows that the beads were formed by rolling of a narrow metal sheet around a circular rod (Figure 3). Only a plastic material, such as metal, could have been worked in this way, so the use of malachite cut into beads in the way of semi-precious stones like at Cqayo¨nu¨ Tepesi can be excluded (Muhly, 1989: 6–7).” [Moulherat_et_al 2002, p. 1394] “Quite exceptionally, the earliest metal artefacts found at Mehrgarh date back to the aceramic Neolithic period. The copper beads described had been worked according to specific metallurgic procedures in which hammering and probably also annealing techniques were used alternatively.” [Moulherat_et_al 2002, p. 1395] “A number of fireplaces and working surfaces of hard clay or brick paving, used for industrial activities, were found at Mehrgarh. Objects made at the site included bone, stone, and flint tools, pots and unfired clay figurines, and beads and other ornaments of shell, steatite, and ivory, and probably leather goods, woven textiles, and baskets. Several crucibles containing copper slag bear witness to the beginning of metallurgy, though only a small ingot, a bead, and a ring in copper survive. It is possible that Mehrgarh was providing a regional focus for industry and trade, where many communities met seasonally to engage in exchange and social activities such as arranging and celebrating marriages.” [McIntosh 2008, p. 61] “The evidence for trade/exchange is primarily artifacts made from raw materials with restricted sources, such as marine shell, agate, carnelian, lapis lazuli, turquoise, colored cherts and jaspers, serpentine, steatite, and copper.” [Kenoyer 1991, p. 344] “ Fine painted wares and specific vessels forms produced at Mehrgarh for local and regional trade (Wright, 1989b; San- toni, 1989) indicate social differentiation and possible stratification among con- sumers. Bangles of red or black fired terra-cotta, shell, or copper and specific bead shapes of clay and agate may reflect differentiation through the use of different raw materials (Kenoyer, 1991a).” [Kenoyer 1991, p. 348]
| Luxury Manufactured Goods: | Present |
| Place(s) of Provenance: | Kachi Plain - Aceramic Neolithic ; foreign |
| Consumption by Elite: | Inferred Present |
stone beads; faience; shell bangles; terra cotta bangles; limestone beads; mother of pearl human figurine; pendants. “Recent excavations at Harappa and Mehrgarh, as well as other sites in Pakistan and India have provided new opportunities to study the ornaments of the Indus Civilization. A brief discussion of the methodologies needed for the study of Indus ornaments is presented along with examples of how Indus artisans combined precious metals, stone beads, shell and faience to form elaborate ornaments. Many of these ornament styles were also copied in more easily obtained materials such as steatite or terra-cotta. The social and ritual implications of specific ornaments are examined through their archaeological context and comparisons with the function of specific ornaments are recorded in the ancient texts and folk traditions of South Asia.” [Kenoyer 1991, p. 79] “The earliest bangles from the aceramic Neolithic period at Mehrgarh (Period IA) appear to have been wide shell bangles and bracelets from shell and stone beads (23).” [Kenoyer 1991, p. 86] “In Neolithic Mehrgarh, a single wide shell bangle was worn on the wrist and bead bracelets often were worn on both wrists. Later, with the introduction of narrow bangles of shell or terra-cotta, several bangles appear to have been worn at the same time, often on both wrists (27).” [Kenoyer 1991, p. 90] “The earliest use of ornaments is in fact recorded only in the Neolithic burials, where we see the use of shell and limestone beads in head bands, necklaces, belts, bracelets and anklets (37). ). The wide range of styles represented in the burials indicate that there was considerable individual choice as to how beads were strung and worn. A full analysis of the burial ornaments will hopefully provide a better understanding of these early ornament styles.” [Kenoyer 1991, p. 92] “The oldest human representation at Mehrgarh is made of mother of pearl and is in a standing attitude (Fig.4). Unique and atypical, it was found in trench MR3 South, along the western wall of a building of level 1. It is associated with a limestone pendant of the same type as 2 other pendants, one in bone and one in limestone, found in two graves of the later cemetery 1 (dug in level 1) in the same sector of trench MR3 S. Most of them, however, are modelled in unbaked clay. They can be divided into two groups: the standing (or straight) figurines and the sitting (or flexed) figurines.” [Jarrige 2006, p. 157] “From the earliest period of settlement at Mehrgarh in the seventh millennium, far-reaching trade networks had given the village’s inhabitants access to the products of other regions, such as seashells from the Makran coast, turquoise from Kyzyl Kum in Central Asia, and lapis lazuli probably from Badakshan in Afghanistan.” [McIntosh 2008, p. 165] “ It is quite clear, however that during the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, certain raw materials were selected as being culturally meaningful and were made into specific types of ornaments. While some of these raw materials initially may have been selected because they were easily obtained and easily fashioned into specific types of objects, other raw materials were difficult to obtain or were completely transformed through manufacture.” [Kenoyer 1991, pp. 82-83] “ Fine painted wares and specific vessels forms produced at Mehrgarh for local and regional trade (Wright, 1989b; Santoni, 1989) indicate social differentiation and possible stratification among consumers. Bangles of red or black fired terra-cotta, shell, or copper and specific bead shapes of clay and agate may reflect differentiation through the use of different raw materials (Kenoyer, 1991a).” [Kenoyer 1991, p. 348] “Few figurines have been found in what could be primary contexts. Most of them, except one, and in this case it is not the exception which confirms the rule, have been discarded and even found in trash or secondary fillings of the ruins. Even if they appear to belong to a floor level, they are associated with other artifacts without any obvious or even meaningful significance. Only one, and not the least, was found in a precise and meaningful context (Fig.11). It was lying in a grave of level C9, of the classical type with a wall closing the funerary chamber, and which contained the remains of a 30 years old woman, adorned with ornaments: a belt and a necklace around her body. She was holding the figurine close to her face in her clasped hands. It is of the sitting type, quite large and covered with red ochre. [Jarrige 2006, pp. 159-160]
| Luxury Food: | Present |
The following is relevant does not imply or indicate the presence of luxury foods in the sense of luxury foods. “On the basis of dental comparisons, the Neolithic population at Mehrgarh appears to have Asian, rather than westerly, affinities (Lukacs, 1989), and the early levels of the site document a regional transition to food production and an economy based on wheat-barley, sheep/goat, and cattle (Costantini, 1984; Meadow, 1984a). Some of these domesticates may derive from farther west, but related processes of domestication were occurring simultaneously in the highlands and in the piedmont of Baluchistan.” [Kenoyer 1991, p. 343]
| Luxury Fabrics: | Present |
| Place(s) of Provenance: | Kachi Plain - Aceramic Neolithic |
| Consumption by Elite: | Present |
cotton. “More than 300 graves, attributed to the aceramic Neolithic period I, have been excavated and the copper bead (MR.84.03.158.01b) containing the cotton fibres was found in one of these graves dated to the first half of the 6th millennium (Jarrige, 2000). The funerary chamber, sealed by a low mud brick wall, contained the remains of two persons, one male adult and, at his feet, a child, approximately one or two years old. The adult lay on his left side, with the head towards the East and the legs flexed backward (Figure 2), this being the most common position in the Mehrgarh burials. Even though many of the graves contained funerary deposits, the grave goods of this one—a set of eight copper beads, found next to the adult’s left wrist—were exceptional as metal beads have been recorded from only two of all the Neolithic burials excavated and even among all the adornments discovered so far (Barthe´le´my de Saizieu, 1994, 592, 599).” [Moulherat_et_al 2002, p. 1394] “Traces of a cotton thread were detected inside a bracelet of copper beads from a grave dating to the end of period I, currently the earliest known evidence of cotton textile in the world.” [McIntosh 2008, p. 61] “Cotton may have been cultivated at Mehrgarh by the fifth millennium, though, like Linum, it may also have been grown for its oil-rich seeds.” “Traces of a cotton thread were detected inside a bracelet of copper beads from a grave dating to the end of period I, currently the earliest known evidence of cotton textile in the world.” [McIntosh 2008, p. 115] “COTTON Used for making thread by the end of period I at Mehrgarh (sixth millennium BCE), cotton (Gossypium arboreum) was domesticated in the subcontinent and probably cultivated as a perennial shrub.” [McIntosh 2008, p. 406] “The Indus Valley has been suggested as a possible centre of domestication and diffusion (Brubaker, Bourland & Wendel, 1999: 21) but in the light of the early cotton find from Neolithic Mehrgarh, it seems that cotton was used and perhaps even domesticated in the Kachi Plain of central Balochistan, several millennia before the rise of the Indus Civilization. Even though no wild Gossypium species is known from this part of Pakistan today, the open woodland or pseudo-savannah that characterized the surroundings of Mehrgarh in the past (Tengberg, Thie´bault, in press) could have constituted a favourable environment for the possible progenitor of G. arboreum. Besides the fibres described above, a few seeds attributed to Gossypium sp., were found in a period II context (5th millennium ) at the site (Costantini, 1984: 32). It is true, however, that neither the fibres, nor the seeds from Mehrgarh allow us to assert that cotton was actually domesticated in the Kachi Plain during the Neolithic and the use of wild cotton fibres remains equally possible. Nevertheless, we should bear in mind that the early inhabitants of the site were already experienced agriculturists, well acquainted with the cultivation of several crop plants (Costantini, 1984; Costantini & Costantini-Biasini, 1985). The processing of crude cotton fibres in order to obtain the thread attested at Mehrgarh would have required a certain experience of the use of fibre plants.” [Moulherat_et_al 2002, p. 1398] “More than 300 graves, attributed to the aceramic Neolithic period I, have been excavated and the copper bead (MR.84.03.158.01b) containing the cotton fibres was found in one of these graves dated to the first half of the 6th millennium (Jarrige, 2000). The funerary chamber, sealed by a low mud brick wall, contained the remains of two persons, one male adult and, at his feet, a child, approximately one or two years old. The adult lay on his left side, with the head towards the East and the legs flexed backward (Figure 2), this being the most common position in the Mehrgarh burials. Even though many of the graves contained funerary deposits, the grave goods of this one—a set of eight copper beads, found next to the adult’s left wrist—were exceptional as metal beads have been recorded from only two of all the Neolithic burials excavated and even among all the adornments discovered so far (Barthe´le´my de Saizieu, 1994, 592, 599).” [Moulherat_et_al 2002, p. 1394]
| Luxury Precious Stone: | Present |
| Place(s) of Provenance: | Kachi Plain - Aceramic Neolithic ; foreign |
| Consumption by Elite: | Inferred Present |
agate; carnelian; lapis lazuli; turquoise; coloured cherts; jasper; serpentine; steatite. “The evidence for trade/exchange is primarily artifacts made from raw materials with restricted sources, such as marine shell, agate, carnelian, lapis lazuli, turquoise, colored cherts and jaspers, serpentine, steatite, and copper.” [Kenoyer 1991, p. 344] “Bangles of red or black fired terra-cotta, shell, or copper and specific bead shapes of clay and agate may reflect differentiation through the use of different raw materials (Kenoyer, 1991a).” [Kenoyer 1991, p. 348] “A number of fireplaces and working surfaces of hard clay or brick paving, used for industrial activities, were found at Mehrgarh. Objects made at the site included bone, stone, and flint tools, pots and unfired clay figurines, and beads and other ornaments of shell, steatite, and ivory, and probably leather goods, woven textiles, and baskets. Several crucibles containing copper slag bear witness to the beginning of metallurgy, though only a small ingot, a bead, and a ring in copper survive. It is possible that Mehrgarh was providing a regional focus for industry and trade, where many communities met seasonally to engage in exchange and social activities such as arranging and celebrating marriages.” [McIntosh 2008, p. 61] “From the earliest period of settlement at Mehrgarh in the seventh millennium, far-reaching trade networks had given the village’s inhabitants access to the products of other regions, such as seashells from the Makran coast, turquoise from Kyzyl Kum in Central Asia, and lapis lazuli probably from Badakshan in Afghanistan.” [McIntosh 2008, p. 165] “The people of the Indo-Iranian borderlands and Indus Basin had gained access to lapis by trade, probably along the route that led from the Kachi plain through the Bolan pass to Quetta and Mundigak, where it joined the major trade route to southern Turkmenia and Afghanistan. This route had linked the people of the Indo-Iranian borderlands with the farming communities of Afghanistan, Turkmenia, and the South Caspian since at least the seventh millennium BCE, and it was the route by which turquoise from Kyzyl Kum reached South Asia.” [McIntosh 2008, p. 167] Bangles of red or black fired terra-cotta, shell, or copper and specific bead shapes of clay and agate may reflect differentiation through the use of different raw materials (Kenoyer, 1991a).” [Kenoyer 1991, p. 348]
| Luxury Fine Ceramic Wares: | Present |
| Place(s) of Provenance: | Kachi Plain - Aceramic Neolithic |
| Consumption by Elite: | Inferred Present |
painted wares. “ Fine painted wares and specific vessels forms produced at Mehrgarh for local and regional trade (Wright, 1989b; Santoni, 1989) indicate social differentiation and possible stratification among consumers. Bangles of red or black fired terra-cotta, shell, or copper and specific bead shapes of clay and agate may reflect differentiation through the use of different raw materials (Kenoyer, 1991a).” [Kenoyer 1991, p. 348] “An increased range of craft activities took place in the settlements of this period, notably the manufacture of the first local pottery vessels. These were made in a variety of simple ways: by coating both faces of a reed core with clay, by moulding clay in a bitumen-lined basket, or by covering the inside of an old basket with clay and firing it, destroying the basket and producing a distinctive type of pottery known as basket-marked ware. Pots were also built up from slabs and pieces of chaff-tempered clay and sometimes coated with a red slip: this ware is known also from contemporary sites across the Iranian plateau.” [McIntosh 2008, p. 61] “ Fine painted wares and specific vessels forms produced at Mehrgarh for local and regional trade (Wright, 1989b; Santoni, 1989) indicate social differentiation and possible stratification among consumers. Bangles of red or black fired terra-cotta, shell, or copper and specific bead shapes of clay and agate may reflect differentiation through the use of different raw materials (Kenoyer, 1991a).” [Kenoyer 1991, p. 348]