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Is the Harappan civilisation 2000 years older?
Past Horizons ^ | 11/14/2012

Posted on 11/14/2012 12:03:35 PM PST by Renfield

The recent International Conference on Harappan Archaeology produced an unexpected announcement from archaeologists BR Mani and KN Dikshit, both of the Archaeological Survey of India, who claim that new dates from excavations show the Harappan culture began around 2000 years earlier than previously thought.

The ruins of the Harrapan city of Mohenjo-daro remained undocumented for over 3,700 years, until their discovery in 1922 by Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay, an officer of the Archaeological Survey of India. He was led to the mound by a Buddhist monk, who reportedly believed it to be a stupa. Image: Wikimedia commons

The ruins of the Harrapan city of Mohenjo-daro remained undocumented for over 3,700 years, until their discovery in 1922 by Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay, an officer of the Archaeological Survey of India. He was led to the mound by a Buddhist monk, who reportedly believed it to be a stupa. Image: Wikimedia commons

Redating of Harappan culture

Based on their research, which has yet to be fully published, the two archaeologists said in a presentation: “The preliminary results of the data from early sites of the Indo-Pak subcontinent suggest that the Indian civilisation emerged in the 8th millennium BC in the Ghaggar-Hakra and Baluchistan area.”

“On the basis of radio-metric dates from Bhirrana (Haryana), the cultural remains of the pre-early Harappan horizon go back to between 7380 to 6201 BCE”.

This announcement was made at the International Conference on Harappan Archaeology by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in Chandigarh and contests the current theory that the settlements in the Indus region began around 3750 BCE.

Contemporary with the rise of civilisation in Mesopotamia

The preliminary findings from the Indus valley – if they are confirmed – would allow for the origin of Harappan Culture to be roughly contemporaneous with the rise of civilisation in Mesopotamia. The first definitive Mesopotamian civilisation of Sumer emerged in the Ubaid period around 6500 BCE.

A language connection?

The Sumerian texts that have been deciphered bear no relation to any nearby language, however there is a hypothesis that the people living in coastal Iran between the two civilizations spoke what is described as an Elamo-Dravidian language.

Impression of an Indus Valley seal, showing an "Indus script" string of five characters. Image: Wikimedia

Impression of an Indus Valley seal, showing an “Indus script” string of five characters. Image: Wikimedia

Apart from the linguistic similarities, the Elamo-Dravidian Hypothesis (which is re-gaining credibility) rests on the assertion that agriculture spread from the Near East to the Indus Valley region via Elam. This would suggest that agriculturalists brought a new language as well as farming from Mesopotamia via Elam. This is supported by ethno-botanical data tracking including the Near Eastern origin and spread of wheat and other crops. (Fuller 2003).

Later evidence of extensive trade between Elam and the Indus Valley Civilisation suggests ongoing links between the two regions.

The recent excavations have been carried out at two sites in Pakistan and Bhirrana, Kunal, Rakhigarhi and Baror in India and there is potential that further work may alter the present chronologies.

The current chronology is:

Dates

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phase
Era
7000 – 5500 BCE
Mehrgarh
I (aceramic Neolithic)
Early Food Producing Era

5500-3300
Mehrgarh II-VI (ceramic Neolithic)
Regionalisation Era5500-2600
3300-2600 Early Harappan
3300-2800
Harappan 1 (Ravi Phase)
2800-2600
Harappan 2 (Kot Diji Phase, Nausharo I, Mehrgarh VII)
2600-1900 Mature Harappan (Indus Valley Civilization) Integration Era
2600-2450
Harappan 3A (Nausharo II)
2450-2200
Harappan 3B
2200-1900
Harappan 3C
1900-1300 Late Harappan Localisation Era
1900-1700
Harappan 4
1700-1300
Harappan 5
1300-300

Northern Black Polished Ware (Iron Age)

Indo-Gangetic Tradition

 

More Information




TOPICS: History; Science
KEYWORDS: archaeology; bangladesh; bhirrana; dwarka; epigraphyandlanguage; godsgravesglyphs; gujarat; gulfofcambay; gulfofcambray; harappa; harappan; harappans; india; indus; indusvalley; indusvalleyscript; nepal; pakistan; preharappan

1 posted on 11/14/2012 12:03:43 PM PST by Renfield
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To: SunkenCiv

Ping


2 posted on 11/14/2012 12:04:53 PM PST by Renfield (Turning apples into venison since 1999!)
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To: Renfield

I seem to remember a TV documentary — Wha’s Harappaning?


3 posted on 11/14/2012 12:15:27 PM PST by mikrofon (Civilizations BUMP)
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To: Renfield

There is also probably a evidence of an even earlier era of this civilization which was submerged as sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age.


4 posted on 11/14/2012 12:16:08 PM PST by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both)
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To: Renfield
Thanks for the heads-up on the latest dating from South Asia.

You know the guys in India want to push this back another couple of thou somewhere ~ because that period will have a much lower sea level and an ancient Indian hero will be able to step across rocks from Mahabarat to Sri Lanka with ease ~ or toss a rock over the narrow waters.

Still, this is impressive, if correct and certainly raises the thesis that some modern languages, e.g. hungarian and estonian, have a dravidian component in the background derived through ancient Sumer.

5 posted on 11/14/2012 12:21:26 PM PST by muawiyah
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To: Renfield

Fascinating, if true.

The Harappan Civilization is one of the ancient world’s most puzzling mysteries; much of the mystery is due to its proximity to the Indus River, such that the water table inhibits excavation.


6 posted on 11/14/2012 1:43:57 PM PST by Jack Hammer
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To: Renfield; SunkenCiv

The world in 15,000 BC

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090322120835/althistory/images/e/e3/World_15%2C000_BC.jpg


7 posted on 11/14/2012 3:26:32 PM PST by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both)
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To: Renfield; StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; decimon; 1010RD; 21twelve; 24Karet; ...

 GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach
Thanks Renfield. Glad you've been taking care of this week.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.


8 posted on 11/16/2012 3:30:40 AM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: BenLurkin
There is also probably a evidence of an even earlier era of this civilization which was submerged as sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age.

Evidence of still earlier civilizations wouldn't surprise me.

How much of NYC would you expect to find at the end of the next ice age?

9 posted on 11/16/2012 7:48:54 AM PST by null and void (America - Abducted by Aliens...)
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10 posted on 10/21/2013 8:01:35 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (It's no coincidence that some "conservatives" echo the hard left.)
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