Paolo Biagi

Slides by the archaeologist Paolo Biagi of the Indus Valley civilization excavation sites.

The Indus River

The Indus River as it flows in the Bukkur Gorge between the towns of Sukkur and Rohri some 20 kilometers (km) north of the excavation areas. In the background is the temple island of Sadhbela.

Rohri Hills

The Rohri Hills as they appear along the western fringe of the plateau, facing the fertile Indus Valley, where most of thhe Harappan flint quarries and workshops have been discovered. (The shadow is from the helicopter.)

Rohri Hills

The Rohri Hills as they appear along the western fringe of the plateau, facing the fertile Indus Valley, where most of the Harappan flint quarries and workshops have been discovered (map).

Rohri Hills

The Rohri Hills as they appear along the western fringe of the plateau, facing the fertile Indus Valley, where most of the Harappan flint quarries and workshops have been discovered.

Quarries

Around the quarries, thousands of flint artefacts were found lying on the surface. This shows that peliminary chipping of the artefacts took place on top of the mesas, or flat limestone terraces.

Flint Quarries

The presence of Harappan flint workshops in the hills close to Rohri had been discovered by Bridget Allchin in 1975. The impressive mining activity in the hills is particularly well-represented near Shadee Shaheed.

Flint Cores

The cores are of a type typical for Harappan culture, both conical and elongated. The blades have been struck off with the pressure technique. This involves pressing the surface of a flint or flake with a soft-pointed instrument.

Balloon

During the surveys, a Castiglioni Brothers helium balloon was employed to take photographs from various altitudes. Thanks to this technique, 800 slides and black and white photographs were taken in five days.

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