Textile Traditions of the Indus Valley and Ancient South Asia
Excavations in both India and Pakistan have provided new information of the importance of
textiles in the early economic and cultural history of South Asia. This illustrated lecture will present the most recent discoveries relating to the production of textiles in the ancient South Asia, with a focus on the Indus civilization, 2600-1900 BC. Highlights of the presentation will be the early use of cotton, along with various types of wool, as well as the recent discovery of the use of wild silk at the site of Harappa and at Chahudaro, Pakistan.
Dr. Kenoyer has been excavating at Harappa, Pakistan since 1986. His main focus is on the
Indus Valley Civilization and he has worked in both Pakistan and India since 1974. He has a
special interest in ancient technologies and crafts, socio-economic and political organization as
well as religion. These interests have led him to study a broad range of cultural periods in South Asia as well as other regions of the world. His publications include monographs on the Indus civilization as well as numerous articles, a grade school book on ancient South Asia and even a coloring book on the Indus cities for children. His work is featured on the website
www.harappa.com. He was Guest Curator with the Asia Society for the exhibition on the Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization, which toured the U.S. in 1998-1999. He was a special consultant for the Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York in 2002.