Some Specialized Ceramic Studies at Harappa

A detailed study of ceramic artifacts which augments basic knowledge by delving into the technical aspects of the processes of production used to craft these objects.

"The craftsmen of the Harappan civilization produced a range of ceramic items that are often technologically and aesthetically outstanding. Among them are pottery vessels, clay figurines, stoneware bangles, and faience artifacts. New data on these categories of ceramic production, which epitomize the advanced state and refinement of pyrotechnological production during the Harappan period, have been collected during five seasons of excavations at the site of Harappa. While involving typologies, chemical characterizations, and chronological sequences, study of these materials at Harappa goes well beyond to include consideration of distribution patterns, contexts, and associations with other categories of artifacts. Thus do we try to obtain a more accurate and sensitive understanding of the technological and artistic achievements of the Harappans and how they influenced, and were influenced by, different aspects of the socioeconomic and cultural systems."

Chapter 5 of Harappa Excavation Reports 1986-1990