These economies were essentially agro-pastoral in nature and the
agricultural elements included cereals (wheat and barley), pulses,
oilseeds, cotton and numerous other plant products. The pastoral
elements were both sedentary and nomadic and were made up mainly of
cattle (Bos indicus) and sheep & goat. The urban centres such
as Harappa, Mohenjo Daro, Rakhigarhi, Kalibangan, Ganveriwala and
Dholavirawere centres of craft specialisations such as copper
mettalurgy, bead manufacture, faience manufacture, (most probably)
cloth making, and the creation of various speciality and prestige
goods whose manufactue was not viable at smaller rual centres.
There was aso a considerable amount of internal and external
trade in the Harappan zone as well as with their neighbours in the
Persian Gulf and in Mesopotamia.
There was no specific currency and the medium of exchange was AA
highly sophisticated barter system.
Dr. Kurush F. Dalal
Archaeologist.
