The purpose of this article is not to present a summary of all of the major discoveries made in the last 55 years, but rather to highlight those that have resulted in major shifts in research paradigms and interpretive frameworks.

This paper will summarize the available literature and recent discoveries on the production and use of metals by peoples of the Indus Valley,Tradition of Pakistan and Western India.

The vast mounded remains of the ancient city of Harappa, one of the largest sites of the Indus Valley civilization, have been known by scholars for more than one hundred years. Occupied almost continuously for more than five thousand years, Harappa's ancient ruins represent the traces of one of the earliest cities of the world, and even today one-third of the area is still occupied by the modern and thriving city of Harappa.

As the study of beads becomes more precise, it is also important to develop more comprehensive chronological frameworks to track the changes in bead technologies and styles.