What a Harappan grave says about marriage

What a Harappan grave says about marriage

News

First anthropologically confirmed joint burial of a couple has been excavated in a Harappan cemetery.

Important facts

1. The ‘couple’s grave’ was found in the Harappan settlements excavated at Rakhigarhi in Haryana, some 150km northwest of Delhi
2. Archaeologists say that the evidence points to the fact that the couple was buried simultaneously or about at the same time following their deaths which could have occurred about 4,700 years ago.

3. Significance of the excavation

• According to archaeologist, the excavation suggests that marriage as an institution could have originated in India from the Harappan civilization

4. Similar ‘couple graves’ globally excavated:

5. Other graves in Harappa:

• Primary pit: full-body remains of the person placed inside a pit
• Secondary pit: contained partial remains of a few bones placed in the pit.
• Other: skeletal remains completely missing in the burial pit. Instead, there were some accessories, presumably the belongings of the deceased person.