Further technological developments at villages in South Asia
Increasing sophistication in ceramic production at Mehrgarh Excavations in the uppermost levels at mr 4 and mr 2 revealed evidence for increasing sophistication of the ceramic decoration repertoire during Mehrgarh period ιιι (cf Kili Gul Muhammad periods ii and ιιι, and PossehTs Togau phase).[623] New fine wares appear together with coarse chaff-tempered pottery that is nonetheless hard and well-fired (Burj Basket-Marked ware).
The finer vessels show signs of the introduction of the tournette to the production process, where vessels have signs of circumferential strokes on the exterior and banded decoration, and towards the end of this phase finger- impressed wares are also attested.[624] These clear changes to the ceramic industry suggest that there was a significant intensification and evolution of production activities, including the use of non-plastic clay as temper (Nazim Hard Clay), and also the development of considerable skill in fixing coloured pigments and maintaining particular body colours through firing techniques that created alternating oxidizing and reducing conditions.[625]The appearance of metal artefacts at Mehrgarh
Fragments of copper rods and pins are attested in Mehrgarh period iii deposits, as well as crucible fragments with melted copper ore adhering, providing explicit evidence of local copper production.[626] These discoveries have led to this phase being described as the beginning of a Chalcolithic period at the site, though this terminology is not applicable for all contemporaneous settlements in the region. Areas with evidence for lapidary craft and shell-working were also exposed at Mehrgarh, suggesting that these industries were developing locally. The increased use of non-local stone types suggests that the earlier patterns of communication and interaction were continuing.
Craft activities appear to have been carried out in specific areas at the settlement, separate from habitation areas.Dating Mehrgarh period iii (Togau phase), population dispersal, and nascent regionalism in the hills and piedmonts
Mehrgarh period iii (Togau phase) is dated to c. 4000-3500 bce, and Possehl has identified a total of 119 possible Togau phase sites (including Kili Gul Muhammad III, SurJangal i - ii, Surab ii, Rana Ghundai i - ii, the early levels at Periano Ghundai, and the initial phases at Sheri Khan Tarakai and Jhandi Babar). This marks a dramatic increase in the sedentary population of western South Asia and indicates that there were significant changes in the patterns of settlement during this period (estimated aggregate settled area: 295 ha).[627] In general, there are similarities in Togau phase ceramics across an area stretching from southern Baluchistan to southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This indicates that there was interaction between the populations of those areas via northern Baluchistan, and there is also the possibility that they shared ideologies and ways of life.
The development of polychrome ceramic decoration
Period iv and v deposits at Mehrgarh revealed evidence for polychrome ceramic decoration (Kechi Beg ware), alongside the coarse and fine wares being used in previous periods, and wet wares also appear, and Jarrige et al. have argued that the development of polychromy was a local phenomenon.[628] Seals made from terracotta, bone, and steatite also appear during periods iv and v, and the range of flint tools declined, suggesting an increase in the importance of copper tools. There were also changes in the way that storage and craft activities were organized and the locations where they were carried out in the settlement.[629] Mehrgarh iv and v appear to correspond with Kili Gul Muhammad iv, Damb Sadaat ι, Surab ιιι, late Sur Jangal ιιι, Rana Ghundai ιιι-iv, and also possibly Dabar Kot and Periano Ghundai, which all share a growing sophistication in ceramic production technology. Although copper artefacts dating to this phase have been discovered at Mehrgarh, they have not yet been attested at other sites in Baluchistan.
Dating the Kechi Beg phase (Mehrgarh periods iv-v)
Various date ranges have been put forward for Mehrgarh periods iv and v, ranging from c. 3500-3000 cal bce to c. 3800-3200 cal bce,[630] but there are no well-stratified radiocarbon dates from sites in northern Baluchistan, so the proposed date ranges are based entirely on relative ceramic parallels. The protracted early village phase at Mehrgarh thus appears to extend throughout the sixth, fifth, and much of the fourth millennia b ce.