Shahi Tump
Discovered in the 1920’s but with archaeological excavation starting
only in the 1980’s under French technical supervision, many questions
were being posed regarding the how the history of this site would complement
the archaeological record that was being revealed from other
prehistoric sites across the region.
It was felt that the early ceramic periods (c. 4000 BCE) should correspond
to a network of trade among early civilizations, which would be
eventually followed by a deterioration of trade, and be followed by the
subsequent rise of the Indus and Kulli Civilizations at around 2500
BCE.
Instead, what was found at these two sites, which are either side of the
river Kech, near present-day Turbat, revealed a second Pottery centre
(after Mehrgarh) which had begun producing fine ceramic wares around
the same time or earlier than at Mehrgarh and importantly, had exported
these fine wares far across the region. The quality of these jars
and goblets (in the Togau-style) has somewhat redefined the date for
‘Kiln-firing, to some 4500 BCE. In fact, the earliest examples of these
ceramics are as fine and more delicate than the later examples, and
executed with skill that makes such examples literally priceless when
compared to what can be produced today. Indeed, the extent of the
pottery workshops, the commonality of design, and the distances traded
caused several leading archaeologists of the day to re-evaluate their
basic assumptions regarding patterns of human migration, as opposed
to only ‘tribal migration .