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P(/Y/~: It DP~

ks are due to the

haeology and the
earch Project for
ANew Interpretation
Iy provided facili-
te, sieve, recover,
om a trench more of the Stratigraphy at Chanhu-daro
n deep, over 400
ed debris layers. I
aU of the men
eving, and sorting
and the Jhukar Phase
their exceptional
his project.
HElD I J, MILLER

sessing the Urban

Ience from Craft
1m Asian A rchaeol-
& G. De Marco. Based on his 1935-36 excavations at the site of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the University
Chanhu-daro, E.J,H, Mackay defined four Harappan Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia,
The Indus Talc- period occupations neatly followed by a jhukar phase Mackay recorded locus, elevation, and a description for
r Materials,Clues
Archaeology 1999, (Mackay 1943). Are-analysis of the findspots of the arti- each artifact, and for many of the architectural features,
Raven. Leiden. facts and architectural features from this site throws such as walls and hearths, he measured base and top
ale M. (1985) On doubt on his lengthy and over-divided scheme, Instead, heights. Thus there are original location data recorded in
I Extent of Craft
roo South Asian
the excavation stratigraphy for the core area of Mound II, a standardized system that often appear in multiple
chotsmans & M. with an excavated depth of 17 feet, clearly shows two sub- records, and these data can be used to reconstruct the
stantial phases of occupation: a lower phase with charac- excavation sequence at the site. This is discussed in the
opan Culture: A
teristic Harappan-style artifacts and architecture, and an following section.
~ Civilization: A
ed. G.L. Possehl upper phase with a stylistically different material assem- The site of Chanhu-daro was made up of three
an Civilization: A mounds. Mackay excavated primarily on Mound II, with
blage along with a less centralized settlement area, This
lhi, pp. 41-50.
new interpretation of the occupation history at Chanhu- a short foray on the summit of Mound I and a deep
'Iy history of metal-
daro provides a fresh look at the relationships between sondage in the alluvial plain immediately to the southwest
. at Harappa: Being the Harappan and the Jhukar cultures at this site, of Mound II (the Cutting). There are no physical con-
:al excavations at nections between these three excavation areas and their
W yea,., 1920-21
respective sequences cannot be stratigraphically linked.
sf Technologv and Mackay's stratigraphic methodology Thus Mackay's two earliest Harappan phases, the HR ill
ction at Harappa. and scheme and HR IV which were found in the Cutting, cannot be
1990: A Multidisci-
l1illennium Urban- connected with the Harappan to Jhukar sequence from
10graphs in World Although Mackay excavated on a large scale, in 50 Mound II.
-n, pp. 71-88.
foot by 50 foot squares, he recorded the horizontal as well Mound II was the most extensively excavated; the
as vertical location of artifacts and features by using a sys- entire mound was cleared from its summit at 23.5 feet
tem of locus numbers and elevations, His locus numbers above sea level, down to approximately 6 feet above sea
mark a horizontal area within a square and the elevations level. Based on this large-scale' excavation, Mackay
are absolute heights above sea level, measured by a described two Harappan period occupations on Mound
cement benchmark linked to the sea level at Karachi. II followed by a Jhukar phase that in turn was overlain by
Hence all features and objects were documented in the supposed jhangar and Thrini occupations. These latter
same system and can be related to each other. two entities are very small assemblages of distinctive
This location information was partially included in the ceramics found at the very top of Mound II and they do
publication (Mackay 1943), however much additional not have describable in situ contexts.
data have been gleaned from the original records that are The primary problem with Mackay's scheme for
in the archives of the Asiatic Art Department of the Mound II is the arbitrary method he used to delineate the

253
A New Interpretation of the Stratigraphy at Chahnu-daro I HEIDI MILLER I

jhukar phase from the lower Harappan settlement (HR As noted, there are multiple sources for the location features
II). Supposedly an upper Harappan occupation (HR 1) data that include Mackay's publications (Mackay 1937, facts as
was found between the HR II and the Jhukar, yet the HR 1943) as well as various archival sources such as letters were bu
I appears to have an indeterminate physical presence on from the field, descriptive object cards, a master list of of disti:
Mound II, instead being an artificial construct. Mackay artifacts, and hand-drawn annotated plans. With this- include:
assigned objects and features to this phase based on sty- large amount of duplicate information there were occa- metal 01
listic criteria: if a feature or object was found above the sionally some problems with the recorded data in that not lower p.
averaged foundation elevations of the HR II features, and all sources agreed. When this was found, the relevant fea- system
he decided that its workmanship was of good quality, he ture or object was not used in the analysis. Approximately settlern
assigned it to the HR I occupation. Objects Mackay 5% of the data were affected in this way. clearly
believed to be of poor workmanship, regardless of the ele- Loci in the central area of Mound II in squares 9D, tion as
vations they were found at, he assigned to the jhukar. 9E, 8E, and 8D were used because they have the deepest Cia:
Close examination of the loci and elevations of the HR I exposures and are concentrated in a core area away from phase'
artifacts and the Ihukar materials reveals significant over- the low-lying edges of the mound. In addition, some loci inscribi
laps, leading one to conclude that the separation between groups from squares 8C, 7C and 7E were used because II were
the HR I and the Jhukar cannot be supported. Mackay of the drain system that connected them to remains in the from b
defined the HR I in contrast to the jhukar based on his central area of the mound. The elevations of the architec- betwee
preconceived notions that the Jhukar culture was "infe- tural features and artifacts for each locus were plotted per weight:
rior" to the Harappan (see Miller in prep. for details). locus and the resultant sections for each locus were com- betwee
pared with its neighbors. The plotted sections were Tho
examined for object and feature clustering, and then the coincic
Determining the excavation stratigraphy clusters were examined for the types of painted pottery, pearan
architectural features and small finds. The result of this called
While it is not possible to recreate a depositional analysis is that a break is revealed in the excavation phase.
stratigraphy to examine Mackay's period assignations, stratigraphy of Mound II between Harappan and non- treatm
there is information regarding the horizontal and vertical Harappan style materials that coincides with a change in wide r,
locations of the excavated finds, and the order in which the architectural remains and helps to define the relation- they ai
they were excavated. Mackay's records show that the ship between the jhukar and the Harappan cultures at painte
central area of Mound II was excavated for 13 to 17 feet, Chanhu-daro.' with s
and this deep excavation record can be used to illustrate Thus,
sequential relationships. In addition, multiple records Harap
exist for the location information of artifacts and many of New interpretation the art
the architectural features, and these duplicate data the se
sources confirm the veracity of the recorded loci and ele- From a close study of the excavation stratigraphy it is M:
vations. clear that a break in the occupation occurs at approxi- upper
The study of the findspots of the excavated artifacts mately 11ft. above sea level in the central area of Mound tural
and architecture is referred to as the excavation stratigra- II, when classic Harappan features and artifacts disap- Addit
phy. The excavation stratigraphy strives to relate pear.! Below c. 11ft. is the lower phase, with characteristic HaraI
Mackay's absolute elevations back into their depositional architectural features of the Indus civilization: mud brick result
contexts, that is their specific loci. The accurate individ- platforms, drainage systems, and streets. Above the 11ft. may I
ual elevations above sea level are studied in relation to level is the upper phase with a haphazard arrangement of that i
each measurement's immediate excavation sequence. architectural remains such as wall fragments, hearths of large,
Hence individual elevations of features and object clus- various types, pavements, low skirting walls, rebuilt walls, depos
ters are examined within the context of their locus, and and intrusive burials from a later time period. Drains, area'
then in relation to adjacent loci. In this way the absolute streets, and platforms appear not to have been used in the depot
elevations are no longer abstracted from their contexts. upper phase due to the fact that the elevations of all such depor

254
ation features are significantly lower than the 'upper phase arti-
.937, facts as well as the fact that some upper phase features
.tters were built directly over the lower phase remains. In place
st of of distinctive Harappan small finds, the upper phase
this includes a new corpus of seal-amulets, some different
icca- metal objects and other artifacts (see Miller in press). The
tnot lower phase with its large platforms and planned drainage
:fea- system and streets reflects a more focused and planned
ately settlement in contrast to the upper phase that is not as
clearly demarcated nor unified by an architectural tradi-
9D, tion as evident in the lower phase.
.pest Classic Harappan small finds are limited to the. lower
:rom phase with only a few exceptions. All but one of the
: loci inscribed Harappan seal-amulets recovered from Mound
ause II were found below 11 ft. 43 out of 54 examples come
1 the from below the 10 ft. line. The remaining 7 were found
itec- between 10 and 11 ft. Additionally, many of the cube
Iper weights in squares 8D, 9D and 9E were recovered
om- between 9 and 11 ft.
vere There is also a striking change in the pottery that
l the coincides with the architectural changes and the disap-
tery, pearance of characteristic Harappan small finds. The so-
this called Ihukar painted pottery occurs only in the upper
.tion phase. jhukar ceramics have a distinctive painted surface
ion- treatment (in purple-black or brown on cream and with
~ein wide red bands bordered by purple-black or brown) and
IOn- they are chaff tempered, in stark contrast to black-on-red
.s at painted Harappan ceramics which are sand tempered,
with some organic temper seen in hand-made vessels.
Thus, the ceramic changes, the disappearance of many
Harappan style small finds and the haphazard nature of
the architecture of the upper phase, all signal a change in
the settlement.
it is Mackay suggested that brick robbing occurred in the
oxi- upper levels of Mound II and the incomplete architec-
und tural plan may reflect a robbed and deflated surface.
.ap- Additionally, one must ask if the lack of traditional
istic Harappan architectural features in the upper phase is the
rick result of extensive brick robbing. While brick robbing
1 ft. may have left behind incomplete remains, it is doubtful
it of that it would have completely erased every trace of a
s of large, planned settlement with a significant depth of
ails, deposit. It is important to remember that in the central
ins, area of the mound there are 10 to 12 ft. of recorded
the deposits above the 11 ft. level. This significant depth of
uch deposit, up to twice that of the lower Harappan occupa-
tion, together with the remaining upper phase structures,
some of which are massive, all point to the existence of a
significant settlement, albeit one qualitatively different
from the Harappan phase below it.
In contrast to the lower phase with its planned
appearance and seemingly unified structure created by
the use of mud brick platforms as well as a drainage and
street system that crosscuts the area, the upper phase has
different types of built features and these features may
have been selectively distributed. For example, small
pavements and hearths with low skirting walls (also
referred to as windbreaks) that Mackay describes as
inhabited by the poorer people of the jhukar occupation,
have been found solely on the east side of Mound II.
Other upper phase features include new structures,
buildings with vertically extended walls, and hearths-in-
niches, and these features occur at various elevations and
in different areas of Mound II in the upper phase.
Mackay considered these different types of built remains
as a single occupation, but it is possible that they may
reflect the use of various areas of the mound at different
times.
Discussion
The excavation stratigraphy reveals two main occu-
pation phases, the lower phase with its characteristic
Harappan features and objects, and the upper phase with
jhukar-style pottery and different types of architectural
remains. While the change from a Harappan-style to a
jhukar-sryle appears to have occurred at c. 11 ft. above sea
level in the core area of Mound II, the nature of this tran-
sition, if any, remains a mystery. While the disappearance
of Harappan small finds seems abrupt, the overall Jhukar
assemblage demonstrates some continuity with Harap-
pan material culture (e.g. some pottery forms and a few
specific small finds, (Miller in press). The most striking
difference between the two phases is the change in the
way space was used by the occupants. The lower phase
has evidence of planning in its drain system, streets, and
the use of mudbrick platforms. Moreover the material
assemblage is classic Harappan with evidence of
inscribed objects and weights. In contrast the upper
phase has different types of structures with some evi-
dence of a differential distribution across the site (e.g. the
255
A New Interpretation of the Stratigraphy at Chahnu-daro I HEIDI MILLER I

windbreaks were found only on the east side of the

mound). The upper phase lacks evidence of settlement
planning such as a drain system or streets and thus it
appears to be a more haphazard and less focused occu-
pation. In addition, the changes in small finds and ceram-
ics from the lower to the upper phase suggest a cultural
shift in the settlement. Research currently in progress will Br~
better document the material continuities and disconnnu,
ities between these two phases at Chanhu-daro. of'

NOTES
1 Due to space limitations, it is not possible to
reproduce the excavation stratigraphy sections
here. See [Miller in prep.] for the sections and occurs varies per locus, to within a foot of the 11
KAl
further discussion. ft. mark.
2 The 11 ft. mark is a guide. The elevation at
which the change in architecture and artifacts

REFERENCES Miller, H.]. (in prep.). Form and Function of Asia. Studies in CommemOTalionof E.C.L Dur- Me
Ceramic Vesselsfrom Chanhu-daro, a Bronze ing Caspers, ed. E. Olijdarn er al., BAR Interna- typolo:
Mackay, E.J.H. (1937) Excavations at Chanhu- Age Site in the Indus Valley. Ph.D. Dissertation, tional Series.
daro in 1935-36. Annual Bibliography of Indian Department of Anthropology. Harvard Uni-
South
Archaeologyfor the year 1935 X, pp. 20-24. versity, Cambridge. Wheel
Mackay, E,J.H. (1943) Chanhu-daro Excaua- Miller, H,J. (in press). Foreign-style objects and and C
lions, 1935-36. American Oriental Society, the Jhukar Culture at Chanhu-daro. Intercul-
up" tl
New Haven. tural Relations betuieen South and Southuiest
new I
tions,
Soutl
ehror
gies,
thow
focur
eal s
the (
calle
inq
that
betv
Earl
limi
we'
we!
pat

apJ
of
od
str
to
fe
Ac
d(
tic