Taphonomy and labour at the Indus Valley site of Harappa (3700–1300 BC)
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The emergence of early cities required new agricultural practices and archaeobotanical crop-processing models have been used to investigate the social and economic organisation of urban ‘consumer’ and non-urban ‘producer’ sites. Archaeobotanical work on the Indus Valley has previously identified various interpretations of labour and subsistence practices. Here, the authors analyse a large archaeobotanical assemblage from Harappa, Pakistan (3700–1300 BC), questioning some of the assumptions of traditional crop-processing models. The ubiquity of small weed seeds, typically removed during the early stages of crop processing, is argued to result from dung burning. This additional taphonomic consideration adds nuance to the understanding of Harappa's labour organisation and food supply with implications for crop-processing models in other contexts.
Source: Antiquity
Authors: Nathaniel James, Alexia Decaix, Isabell Villasana, J. Mark Kenoyer, Richard H. Meadow, Jade d'Alpoim Guedes
Institutions: University of California San Diego, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Côte d'Azur, Cultures et Environnements. Préhistoire, Antiquité, Moyen Âge, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Harvard University, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of Washington
Language: English
Subfield: Paleontology
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,450
OpenAlex ID: W4405122635