An organization to further the cause of advancement of Science and Technology for the betterment of youngsters and humanity at large.To conduct Research Forum Meetings and Lectures and if possible,in future to conduct, short time course training at an advanced level of enterprise of the said objectives.
Professor Kotcherlakota Lakshmi narayana
17-11-10 Narsimha Ashram, Official Colony Maharanipeta,Visakhapatnam-530002 Andhra Pradesh,India.
Monday, November 6, 2023
Mehrgarh: One of the Oldest Cities in the Indus Valley
The oldest civilization in the Indus Valley stretching back 9000 years, Mehrgarh gives us a glimpse into our mysterious past.
Oct 28, 2023 • By Greg Beyer, BA History and Linguistics, Diploma in Journalism
The Indus Valley and the surrounding area that today covers parts of Pakistan and northwest India have long been known to hold many secrets of ancient human civilization. Deep into the past, cities rose and fell for thousands of years, emerging as influential centers and disappearing to remain enigmas for archeologists to uncover. Located west of the Indus River near the Bolan Pass in Balochistan, Pakistan is the archeological site of one of the most mysterious ancient cities. It is here, 9,000 years ago, that the ancient city of Mehrgarh was founded. Hidden for millennia, the secrets are slowly being revealed, answering the questions of who these people were, what they built, and what their culture was like. Discovery of Mehrgarh.
Archeological discoveries throughout the 20th century in Pakistan proved that the whole region was home to some of the world’s oldest civilizations and an extremely important center of human development for thousands of years. The site of Mehrgarh was discovered in 1974 by a French archeological mission led by husband-and-wife pair Catherine and Jean-François Jarrige. The initial excavation period lasted from 1974 to 1986, when the site was excavated extensively and continuously. The site was revisited from 1997 to 2000 when excavations yielded more secrets of the city of Mehrgarh. The site consists of six mounds spread over an area of 495 acres (374 football fields, or 200 kilometers2) in which a total of 32,000 artifacts have been discovered. In the site’s northeast corner are the remains of a small farming village dated to be 9,000 to 7,500 years old, making it the oldest evidence of human settlement in the entire Indus region and one of the oldest in the world.
Where Did the Mehrgarhans Come From? (& Where Did They Go?)
It is difficult to say with any certainty the events that happened 9,000 years ago regarding a people who did not yet have a writing system. Archeological finds provide clues, but no concrete evidence is available. Thus, various theories exist about the origin of the people who founded Mehrgarh. Studies of wheat varieties show that wheat in the Indus Valley likely originated from the Middle East, and based on this evidence, it is theorized by many academics that the Indus Valley civilizations originated from people who migrated into the Indus Valley from the west, becoming an offshoot of the Middle Eastern Bronze Age civilization. Thus, it is argued that Mehrgarh was founded by the first wave of immigrants. This theory is contested by the man who led the excavations. Jean-François Jarrige argues that early Mehrgarhan archeological evidence differs enough from late Indus Valley settlements to indicate that Mehrgarh has a unique local origin not connected to the Middle East. Mehrgahr was inhabited for many thousands of years, and genetic evidence suggests that the original ethnic group that founded the site was displaced during the end of the Neolithic and the beginning of the Chalcolithic periods. The direct descendants of the original inhabitants can be found south and east of Mehrgarh around the western edge of the Deccan Plateau in the northwest of India.
The Eras of Settlement
What is known as the Mehrgarh I period extends back to at least 7000 BCE and lasts until around 5500 BCE. This was when farming was first practiced in the area. Wheat and barley were the main crops, while sheep, goats, and cattle were also farmed, with water buffalo and elephants being domesticated. Dates and jujubes were also cultivated. This early culture did not make use of pottery but did use unbaked clay to build their structures. The bricks were mortared and cigar-shaped, and the residential structures were rectangular buildings with multiple rooms. Instead of pots, baskets were covered in bitumen to make them waterproof.
In 2001, an examination of the teeth of several of the men buried at Mehrgarh displayed signs of primitive dental work where drilling had been done on molars. This is the oldest evidence of dentistry in human civilization and dates from 7,000 to 9,000 years ago. From 5500 BCE (Mehrgarh II), signs of pottery work began to emerge. Through the centuries to the Mehrgarh III period (4800 BCE–3500 BCE), pottery-making techniques became more advanced and complex. Simple terracotta figurines that were identified with Mehrgarh I evolved to become more intricate. They were painted, and a diverse array of hairstyles are apparent. The female figurines generally have large, pronounced breasts, and many of the figurines incorporate anthropomorphic designs. Until 4000 BCE, all the figures that were created depicted females, and it is plausible that the Mehrgarhans practiced a form of mother-goddess worship. Decoration on pots also became more intricate, with designs being painted onto them with the addition of high-quality glazing techniques.
From around 5000 BCE, trade also increased with settlements and cities from the Badakhshan region, most of which is located in present-day northeastern Afghanistan. By the 4th millennium BCE, settlements bloomed in the surrounding areas, offering many trading opportunities. This period also saw advances in building techniques. Clay bricks were made in molds, and the foundations of buildings were improved by incorporating pebble aggregate into a clay medium. The Decline of Mehrgarh
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