Introduction Mitathal (28 o 53’ 31” N; 76 o 10’ 11” E), in the Bhiwani district of southwest Haryana, is an important site for scholars investigating what Possehl (1992) has called the “Eastern Domain” of the Indus, or Harappan, Civilization (Fig. 1). A brief surface reconnaissance was undertaken during a visit to the site by the authors of this paper on 11 th March 2007. The geologic provenance of several artefact types, including the first and only steatite seal yet recovered at Mitathal, was also assessed. These new studies have provided a fresh glimpse into this ancient settlement and the surrounding region during the later part of what is commonly termed the Mature Harappan period (ca. 2600- 1900 B.C) of the Indus Civilization. Site Location and Past Research Mitathal is situated on the alluvial plain near a channel between the Chautang and the Yamuna rivers and is in close proximity (25 to 30 km) to the hilly outcrops of Kaliana and Tosham, which are rich in quartzite and meta- volcanic rocks respectively. The site is approximately 120 km west-northwest of New Delhi, 10 km northeast of Bhiwani – the headquarters of the district of the same name, and 1.5 km northwest of Mitathal village. Prior to excavation conducted by Kurukshetra University in 1968 under the direction of Suraj Bhan (Bhan 1969, 1975), copper artefacts, Indus-style pottery, beads and faience bangles were discovered at Mitathal. Bhan’s excavations, although small in scale, revealed much about the site and the region. Firstly, a pre-Mature Harappan Received : 31-08-2009 Revised : 26-11-2009 Accepted : 13-12-2009 Mitathal: New Observations based on Surface Reconnaissance and Geologic Provenance Studies V.N. Prabhakar, Tejas Garge, Randall Law 1 Archaeological Survey of India, Aurngabad Circle, Aurangabad 1 Department of Anthropology, 5240 Social Science Building, 1180 Observatory Drive, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 53706 USA Abstract The Indus Civilization settlement of Mitathal, District Bhiwani, Haryana is rapidly being leveled due to agricultural activities. A short surface reconnaissance was conducted during which, among other things, a steatite seal was recovered. A small fragment of that seal was analyzed using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and determined to have been made from raw steatite that most probably originated in the Alwar District of northern Rajasthan. This, along with evidence that rock outcrops near the Haryana/Rajasthan border were being exploited for manufacture of grinding stones, indicates that residents of the site had important trade relationships extending towards the south. phase related to the Kalibangan I and ‘pre-defense’ (Kot Diji Phase) at the site of Harappa, which in Haryana has been called the Late Siswal culture, was identified. This was followed by a continuous sequence through a Late Harappan phase. Bhan defined a Period I and Period II – c. 2000-1900 B.C. and c. 1900-1500 B.C., respectively. The classical phase of the Indus Civilization (Mature Harappan) was indicated at the site by the presence of well-planned mud-brick structures, beads of carnelian, faience, steatite and terracotta, toy-cart wheels, wheeled toys, sling balls, discs with tapering ends, marbles and triangular cakes of terracotta as well as stone objects such as balls, hammer stones, saddle querns and mullers, and cubical stone weights. The uppermost level (IIB) was designated the “Mitathal” culture (Late Harappan). Some Siswal/ Kalibangan ceramic traditions survived and important finds from this phase include a celt, a parasu and a copper ring. Bhan suggested that Indus culture transformed into the OCP and hinted that the possible genesis of the OCP lay in the Siswal phase (Bhan 1975: 3). Mitathal’s twin mounds were christened as 1 and 2 by Suraj Bhan. He recorded Mound 1 as being 150 x 130 m in area and 5 m in height, while Mound 2 was 300 x 175 m in area and 3 m above the agricultural fields. The two mounds whose northern periphery was demarcated by a modern irrigation canal (the Dang Minor) were 10 m apart. A Brief Surface Reconnaissance It was evident, both during our short visit to Mitathal and from an examination of recent Google Earth satellite imagery (ca. December 2005), that large portions of the mounds have been destroyed since the time of Bhan’s excavation due to agricultural activities. Mound 1 has been reduced greatly on its south and to a little extent on Prabhakar V.N., et al., Man and Environment XXXV(1): 54-61 [2010]. © Indian Society for Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies