Why change what works? Technological resilience in Harappan pottery from Bagasra (c. 2450–1900 BCE), Gujarat

• This pilot study investigates the resilience of pottery manufacturing at a fortified coastal Harappan settlement of Bagasra (Gujarat, India; c. 2450–1900 BCE). • LED microscopy and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) was performed on 73 samples, of which 17 were further examined using SEM–EDS, FTIR, and XRD. • Four clay paste groups were identified (<SiO 2 -rich, balanced, <Al 2 O 2 -rich, and <CaO + MgO-rich), of which three remained stable throughout the site’s 500-year occupation. • Estimation of firing temperature show that 15 of the 17 samples were fired in the range of 800–900 °C, while two were fired in the range of 650–800 °C. • The results Harappan technological resilience through long-term technological stability despite tectonic disturbances, cultural shifts and the 4.2 ka aridification event. • However, due to this study’s limited sample size, interdisciplinary investigations with larger sample sizes are required to contextualise Harappan pottery production within broader patterns of adaptation, continuity, and resilience. The present pilot study investigates pottery manufacturing at Bagasra (Gola Dhoro), a fortified coastal settlement in Gujarat (2450–1900 BCE), India, through an integrated archaeometric and chaîne opératoire approach to examine technological practices and resilience in pottery manufacturing strategies. LED and pXRF analysis were conducted on 73 samples, primarily consisting of small-medium pots, followed by goblets, storage jars, cooking vessels, bowls, a stud handle, a dish-on-stand and a deep basin. Although, the assemblage included a wide variety of pottery shapes, the majority were of coarse fabric, selected to investigate their paste preparation strategies and lipid residues (forthcoming). This was followed by SEM-EDS, FTIR and XRD analysis on a subset of 17 samples across various spatial, temporal, cultural and typological categories to identify evidence of surface treatment and estimate firing temperature. This helped reconstruct technological traditions via a chaîne opératoire approach across phases marked by environmental upheavals (e.g., tectonic activity, 4.2 ka aridification) and cultural shifts (Anarta, Classical Harappan, Sorath Harappan). The results reveal continuity in clay paste recipes, tempering strategies, and firing techniques, despite cultural shifts and environmental catastrophes. The potters’ deep material knowledge is highlighted by standardised production, evidenced by three groups of paste strategies, selective clay filtration, variety of tempering strategies and relatively uniform firing temperatures that were stable for 500 years. These pottery manufacturing strategies remained stable despite macro-scale disruptions, suggesting a locally centralised pottery production strategy and the generational transmission of craft knowledge. Additionally, the stability in pottery production strategies from the establishment of the site to the gradual abandonment highlights the social importance of potters, suggesting they were significant enough to have immigrated with the site’s earliest settlers. This study reframes Harappan pottery production as a dynamic and adaptive tradition, anchored in the deep material intelligence that allowed resilience with little transformation even in the face of environmental upheavls and cultural shifts.