Explained: What new finds at Harappan site could mean

What is the News?

The Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) has made significant discoveries at the Rakhigarhi site.

About Harappan Civilization

Archaeologically, the span of the Harappan Civilisation is subdivided into three periods — early (3300 BC to 2600 BC), mature (2600 BC to 1900 BC), and late (1900 BC to 1700 BC). 

Five urban sites — Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa, Ganweriwala (now in Pakistan) and Rakhigarhi and Dholavira (India) — have been identified as centres of the Civilisation.

What is Rakhigarhi?

Rakhigarhi is a village and an archaeological site belonging to the Indus Valley Civilisation in the Hisar District of Haryana.

It was part of the mature phase of the Indus Valley Civilisation, dating to 2600-1900 BCE. The site is located in the Ghaggar-Hakra River plain.

What are the recent significant discoveries made at Rakhigarhi?

Skeletal Remains: The skeletons of two women were found at Mound No. 7 believed to be nearly 5,000 years old. Pots and other artefacts were found buried next to the remains, part of funerary rituals back. DNA samples might provide clues about the ancestry and food habits of people who lived in the region thousands of years ago.

Signs of Settlement: This is the first time excavations have been done on Mound No. 3 which has revealed what appears to be “an aristocratic settlement”; 

Note: In all Harappan sites excavated so far, there have been similar signs of three tiers of habitation — ‘common settlements’ with mud-brick walls, ‘elite settlement’ with burnt brick walls alongside mud-brick walls, and possible ‘middle-rung settlements’.

Jewellery Unit:  A large number of steatite beads, beads of semi-precious stones, shells, and objects made of agate and carnelian have been recovered. This discovery signifies that trading was also done from the city. 

Other noteworthy finds include steatite seals, terracotta bangles, terracotta unbaked sealing with relief of elephants and the Harappan script. The team also recovered some Harappan sealings (impression of a seal on a surface) indicating that seals were used to mark objects belonging to a set of people or community as they are today.

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained: What new finds at Harappan site could mean” published in Indian Express on 10th May 2022