Context: Archaeologists have found a human skeleton at a Harappan site (Padta Bet) in Gujarat.
Padta Bet site of Indus Valley Civilisation:
- In 2018, archaeologists had unearthed a mass burial site with 500 graves on the outskirts of Khatiya village in Gujarat's Kutch district.
- In the recent excavations, the finding of the skeleton, along with pottery artefacts and animal bones, from, nearby Padta Bet site, point to the presence of a 5,200-year-old Harappan settlement that was nearby the mass burial ground of Juna Khatiya, an Early Harappan necropolis (a cemetery, especially a large one belonging to an ancient city).
- The latest find supports the theory that the graveyard site may have served as a common facility for a cluster of several such smaller settlements.
- A network of such small Harappan settlements around the necropolis might have played a significant role in the cultural formation of Early Harappan and subsequent occupations in this arid area.
- Researchers identified two localities where the archaeological deposits were found during excavation:
- Locality 2 with artefacts from the Early Harappan era (3,200 BC to 2,600 BC), Mature Harappan era (2600 BC to 1900 BC) and Late Harappan era (1900 BC to 1700 BC).
- Locality 1 with artefacts dating back to the Mature Harappan era and Late Harappan era.
- Pottery artefacts and the animal bones, representing cattle, sheep or goat and shell fragments point to possible animal domestication. These findings indicate the occupational practices of the Harappan people.
- The excavations of the ceramic artefacts, and give information about one of the unidentified pottery traditions of the Harappans.
- Semi Precious stone beads made of carnelian and agate, terracotta spindle whorls, copper, lithic tools, grinding stones and hammer stones are also found from the site.
Harappan Civilisation:
- The Harappan civilization, also known as the Indus Valley Civilization, is considered the beginning of Indian history. It can be divided into three phases:
- Early Harappan Phase from 3200 to 2600 BCE.
- Mature Harappan Phase from 2600 to 1900 BCE.
- Late Harappan Phase from 1900 to 1700 BCE.
- The early Harappan phase marked the transition towards the mature Harappan period.
- During this phase, farmers from the highlands gradually migrated between their mountain residences and the lowland river valleys.
- The earliest specimens of the Indus script date back to the third millennium BCE, and trade networks connected this civilization to other regional cultures and distant sources of raw materials.
- By this time, the villagers had successfully cultivated a diverse range of crops such as peas, sesame seeds, dates, and cotton. Additionally, they also domesticated animals like the water buffalo.
- By 2600 BCE, early Harappan villages had developed into major urban centres, signalling the beginning of the mature Harappan phase.
For more information: https://compass.rauias.com/current-affairs/history/harappan-civilisation/