The present research paper presents the results of a recent study during which mineralogical and thermal analyses were carried out on a terracotta bangle shard from Harrappa, an Indus valley settlement in Pakistan. Bentonite clay was identified as the major constituent of the bangle shard. The knowledge acquired with respect to the mineralogical structure, determined through X-ray diffraction, along with the results derived from the thermal analysis, were used to predict the value of the firing temperature of the bangle shard.
Copyright © 2011 Published by Ed. Univ. „Al. I. Cuza” Iași. All rights reserved.

X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, Indus valley, bentonite clay