Philippe GOUIN-LISSANDRE, ethnoarchéologue orientaliste

Article published in French in 1990   " Râpes, jarres et faisselles : la production et l'exportation des produits laitiers dans la Vallée de l'Indus au 3ème millénaire ",  Paléorient  1990, vol. 16/2, pp. 37-54 "   Reconnaître un objet usuel consiste surtout à savoir s'en servir. " H. Bergson   ABSTRACT   The excavations at Nausharo in Pakistan, like all of the sites of the Indus Civilization, yielded a large number of ceramic vessels, the functions of which are reinterpreted here in the light of recent ethnoarchaeological observations. It is thus possible to identify some of the vases which may have been used for the storage, conservation, transformation and transport of dairy products. The presence of specific forms such as graters, cheese-drainers and jars reflects the technology of a large-scale craft industry. Their discovery on sites at great distance from the Indus, such as in southeastern Arabia and in Bactria, indicates the possible geograp...