Chanhudaro Bead Workshops Produced Mass-Scale Carnelian Exports by 2400 BCE

In the city of Chanhudaro, specialized workshops manufactured carnelian beads for export across ancient trade routes.

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Chanhudaro is one of the few Indus cities without a citadel mound, emphasizing its industrial character.

Chanhudaro, a smaller Indus settlement in Sindh, Pakistan, functioned as a craft production center during the Mature Harappan period. Excavations uncovered bead-making workshops with drills, furnaces, and unfinished carnelian pieces. The scale of production indicates specialization beyond household manufacture. Carnelian beads from the Indus region have been discovered in Mesopotamian sites. Standardized production suggests regulated quality control. Craft specialization contributed to economic diversification. Industrial zones were integrated within urban layouts. Production supported long-distance commerce. Artisans formed economic backbone.

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Mass production of beads demonstrates division of labor within Indus society. Export goods enhanced foreign exchange value. Specialized craft districts improved efficiency and skill transmission. Trade demand incentivized technological refinement. Economic interdependence strengthened urban resilience. Production hubs complemented administrative centers. Commerce fueled complexity.

For bead artisans, precision drilling required patience and expertise. The irony lies in how small decorative items traveled farther than monumental architecture. Personal adornment linked distant cultures. Chanhudaro’s industry extended the civilization’s reach bead by bead.

Source

Encyclopaedia Britannica - Chanhudaro

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