Binjor Excavations

Context (TP): At Binjor (4MSR), very close to Tarkhanwala Dera and Baror, a craftsperson’s village was discovered, unlocking the unknown aspects of the mighty Harappans’ production line.
Bijnor is located about 4 km away from the India-Pakistan border that divides the Ghaggar-Hakkra river, in the Anupgarh tehsil of Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan.

The excavations suggest that the industrial activities at the site started during Mature Harappan period.
It also suggests that the site was abandoned towards the end of the Mature Harappan phase around c.2000 BCE, which coincided with the onset of the de-urbanisation phase of the civilisation.

Findings from the excavations

Seven structural phases spanned across three periods, Early, Transition, and Mature Harappan (from c.4500 BCE to 2000/1900 BCE), were excavated.
Most structures are made of mud bricks, including multiple rooms, workshop areas, courtyards, and a massive enclosure wall that surrounds the settlement.
Plethora of pottery with decorative motifs, including animal motifs like tigers and fish; numerous seals; exquisite beads – carnelian, agate, jade, lapis lazuli, quarts; animal and human figurines were excavated.

The industrial centre was represented by the evidence of over 250 hearths (fireplaces/kilns) in different shapes and sizes found in seven structural phases right from the settlement’s inception.
Though initially, the concentration of hearths was limited to domestic use, the level of industrial and mass production activity could be seen only during the Mature Harappan period (2600-2000 BCE).
The increase in the number of hearths and the concentration of fire activity in clusters present for a long time (defined by layers and layers) in one area showed that the scale of production increased.
The entire array of hearths is divided into three broad categories:
1. For smelting (particularly furnaces/kilns).
2. Smaller hearths, mostly (rounded or oval) for secondary melting.
3. Hearths shaped like basins used for heating and forging artefacts; and round hearths filled with powdery ash or gypsum, which might be used for final polishing.
Objects such as terracotta crucibles and moulds, stone anvils, hammers, polishers, copper chisels, and other tools; evidence of wood as fuel, bones in the hearths; weights and measures in various denominations; are indicators of a craft-cum-industrial setup.
Moreover, a thick deposit of industrial waste and a large number of finished products are found at the site, suggesting mass production of copper implements.