Luxurious Cashmere (Pashmina) used as early as Indus Valley Civilization

[W.11]

While cotton may be the most commonly preserved form of textile in the Indus cities, there is some new evidence for the use of wool. This is seen in the fabric fragments preserved on corroded copper artifacts from Harappa. Some of the fibres currently being studied by the author are extremely fine and look very much like pashmina and shatoosh, which are the highest quality of wool used in the subcontinent today and come from the northern region of Jammu and Kashmir. Further studies are necessary to confirm this identification but the discovery of this type of wool would not be surprising since recent provenience studies of rocks and minerals such as lead indicate Jammu as a possible resource area (Randall Law Personal Communication). Another possible indicator for the use of wool is the distinctive curved razors or knives, with handles often wrapped in fabric or yarn (Figure 18). Although no prehistoric examples of knotted pile carpets have been recovered from the Indus region, the shape of the blade is very similar to the curved blades used in carpet making throughout West Asia and South Asia.

https://www.harappa.com/sites/default/files/pdf/Kenoyer2004%20IndusTextilesfinal.pdf