The shell middens of the Bay of Daun: environmental changes and human impact along the coast of Las bela (Balochistan, Pakistan) between the 8th and the 5th millennium BP

The discovery of shell middens around the bay of Daun and Lake Siranda (Las Bela, Balochistan) shows that groups of prehistoric gatherers settled alon the coast of Las Bela at least sincethe last two centuries of the 8th millennium BP. The radiocarbon dating of the Daun sites indicates that the exploitation of the mangrove resources was not continuous, but took place mainly during distinct periods of the 7th and 5th millennia BP. The radiocarbon dates from marine and mangrove shells from the Tharro anf Makli Hills (Lower Sindh) suggest that the coastal seafaring along the northern coast of the Arabian Sea began already around the beginingof the 7th millennium BP