SESSION 3 – Stone tool production and processing techniques
A comparison of lithic assemblages belonging to economically diverse settlements flourishing during mid- third millennium BCE Gujarat

This paper deals with the lithic assemblages belonging to two contemporary Harappan sites involved in different economic production practices. Both the sites are situated in Gujarat, Western India and flourished during the mid-third millennium BCE. One of the sites is Bagasra, situated in Rajkot district and the other site is Shikarpur, situated in Kachchh district. Bagasra was an important craft production centre while Shikarpur was involved in inter-regional trade and exchange.

Bagsara has provided evidence of being self-sufficient in its lithic tool use while Shikarpur has shown heavy reliance on imported tools. The studies have shown that the craft community at Bagasra was utilizing “formal tools” that had undergone additional effort in their production. The “formal tools” are often linked with populations practicing more mobile settlement strategies (and having short-term site occupations). Their presence at the site of Bagasra is thus intriguing since Bagasra was not a mobile settlement. The vast number of imported stone tools (Rohri chert blades) recovered from Shikarpur, on the other hand shows utilization without additional efforts. These two assemblages reflect the context of their production and use and show marked differences in their typological as well as technological features.