Harappan Settlement System and Economic Status in the Semi-Arid
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Harappan Settlement System and Economic Status in the Semi‐arid Zone, Bhiwani District, Haryana Narender Parmar1, Appu Sharan2, Vikas Pawar2 and Vijay Kumar1 1. Department of History, Rajiv Gandhi Government College for Women, Bhiwani, Haryana (Email: [email protected]) 2. Department of History, M.D. University, Rohtak – 124001, Haryana Received: 07 October 2013; Accepted: 23 October 2013; Revised: 01 November 2013 Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 1 (2013): 515‐538 Abstract: The main objective of this paper is to investigate the cause of migration of the Harappans from the fertile land (upper Saraswati basin) to the semi‐arid zone (Thar Desert of Rajasthan), in‐depth analysis of the cultural sequence and bring to light the nature of these settlements. In addition to this, the present paper also focuses on cultural transformations, settlement system, economic status, ceramic assemblages and other cultural material of the Harappan civilization in the semi‐arid zone. Keywords: Early Harappan, Mature Harappan, Late Harappan, Settlement System, Semi‐arid Zone, Bhiwani District, Sothi‐Siswal Introduction The region of the upper Saraswati basin was most favourite place of the Harappans and also played an important role not only in supporting but also in developing the early farming communities by providing a land that can produce abundantly, proper amenities for irrigation of water and a variety of mineral resources. The region has a large concentration of alluvial deposit and many small rivers and lakes were in existence during the ancient period in the region. These rivers (Saraswati, Drasdwati, Yamuna, Ghagger, Markanda, Tangri and Kuskiputra) might have played an important role by providing both a high‐quality agricultural land and facilities of irrigation, in addition to the provision of different varieties of wild plants and animals. Nevertheless, as we move away from the fertile region and enter into the dry area of sand dunes and Aravalli outcrops, they become sparse in especially Southern Haryana. The region could not provide good agricultural land as well as irrigation facilities were nominal. However, a good number of Harappan settlements emerged and developed in the region. Questions which need to be answered are: why the Harappan peoples settled in semi‐arid zone? What is the depth of cultural sequence of Harappan settlements in the region? How was the nature of these settlements? The main aim of this paper is to highlight the settlement system, cultural depth and economic status of the Harappan culture in the semi‐arid zone (northern Thar Desert of Rajasthan). ISSN 2347 – 5463 Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 1: 2013 Study Area and Its Environs The present investigation carried out in Bhiwani district, which is one of the twenty one districts of Haryana. It includes 442 villages and lies between 28° 19ʹ to 29° 05ʹ north parallels of latitude and 75° 28ʹ to 76° 28ʹ east meridians of longitude with a total geographical area of 5,090 square kilometres (Fig. 1). It is divided into six tehsils viz. Bhiwani, Bawani Khera, Tosham, Siwani, Loharu, Dadri and ten blocks viz. Bawani Khera, Bhiwani, Dadri I &II, Badhra, Loharu, Bahal, Kairu, Tosham and Siwani. It is bounded in the north by the Hisar district, in the northeast by the Rohtak district, in the southeast by the Jhajjar district, in the south by the Mahendergarh district and the Jhunjhunu district (Rajasthan) and in the west by the Churu district and a part of the Jhunjhunu district (Rajasthan). The region occupies an intermediary place between the Indo‐Gangetic plain and the Thar desert of Rajasthan. The north‐eastern part is representative of the Indo‐Gangetic plain while south‐western part is the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. The Indo‐Gangetic plain is generally flat, well known for cultivation and the topography unit is marked by the termination of distributaries of the western Yamuna canal system. The desert part is clustered with sand dunes of varying shapes and sizes and topography is marked by irregularities and undulations. The direction of the sand dunes is inconsistent and the dunes which are quite closely spaced are extension of the Thar Desert. The outline of Aravalli hills also play an important role in topographical features and are in occurrence in the Tosham and Dadri‐II blocks of this district. These hills are very well known for varieties of ores and minerals, stones and metals such as copper, tin, tungsten, iron, flexible sandstone, granite, quartz, quartzite, kankar, saltpetre, silica and foundry sand, mica and pyrite mineral (Gupta and Kanwar 1969, Thussu 2006). Results of Exploration The present exploration carried out led to the discovery of several hitherto unknown sites in addition to the known rich cultural repertoire in the region. An extensive village‐to‐village survey carried out in the study region. As a result of this comprehensive survey, sixty three Harappan settlements were visited in the revenue jurisdiction of Bhiwani district, Haryana (Fig. 2; Table 1 and 2). The material inventory (pottery and other associated finds of different cultures) collected from sites during the exploration was then systematically examined. Settlement System The earliest settlement remains in the present study region are found to be belonging to those of the Early Harappan period (Eastern Hakra Phase). The cultural remains of Eastern Hakra phase (circa 4000 BC) were found, in the north‐western corner of the study region, from Kanank‐I site. The location of this site is very interesting as it is located in vicinity of the Aravalli hills. Certainly, the people of Eastern Hakra phase seem to have come here in the search of stones, metals and minerals. They were 516 Parmar et al. 2013: 515‐538 successfully trading of the Aravalli stone to other contemporary settlements (Law 2008: 208‐10). The excavations of Kunal (Khatri and Achrya 1997), Bhirrana (Rao 2006), Farmana (Shinde et al. 2011a) and Girawad (Shinde et al. 2011b) have thrown light on the life ways style of this phase. The excavation revealed that people lived in pit dwelling complexes and used semiprecious stones, bone objects, metal objects and wheel‐made pottery. They were the first cultivators of wheat, barley and rice in the region (Saraswat and Pokharia 2002‐03:105‐39). They were also involved in the export, import trade and copper melting activities and successfully evolved into the Sothi‐ Siswal phase. Table 1: Chronological Sequence of Harappan Sites in Bhiwani District Period Cultural Phase Sites Period‐I Early Harappan Culture Eastern Hakra Phase 01 (>4000‐2600 BC) (>4000‐3200 BC) Sothi‐Siswal Phase 35 (3200‐2600 BC) Period‐II Mature Harappan Culture 36 (2600‐1900 BC) Period‐III Late Harappan Culture 47 (1900‐1300 BC) Table 2: Harappan Sites in the Study Area Sl. Name of the Co‐ordinates Block Cultural Size in No. Site Sequence Hectares 1. Achina‐I 28° 38ʹ 27.4ʺ Dadri‐I EH, MH, LH 3.00 76° 22ʹ 55.7ʺ 2. Achina‐II 28° 39ʹ 39.3ʺ Dadri‐I MH, LH 2.50 76° 21ʹ 51.2ʺ 3. Alkhpura 29° 01ʹ 15.7ʺ Bawani EH, MH, LH 3.20 76° 03ʹ 15.1ʺ Khera 4. Alkhpura 28° 54ʹ 12.7ʺ Tosham EH, MH, Med. 4.00 75° 56ʹ 54.4ʺ 5. Ajitpura 28° 43ʹ 14.2ʺ Bhiwani LH, Hist., E. 3.00 76° 10ʹ 31.6ʺ Med. 6. Balayali 28° 53ʹ 25.0ʺ Bawani LH, Med. 5.00 76° 00ʹ 00.1ʺ Khera 7. Bawani Khera‐I 28° 59ʹ 04.2ʺ Bawani LH, Hist. 4.00 76° 00ʹ 18.5ʺ Khera 8. Bawani Khera‐II 28° 55ʹ 57.0ʺ Bawani LH, Hist., Med. 3.00 75° 59ʹ 42.6ʺ Khera 9. Bhagavi 28° 37ʹ 24.3ʺ Dadri‐I MH, LH 2.00 76° 22ʹ 30.1ʺ 517 ISSN 2347 – 5463 Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 1: 2013 Sl. Name of the Cultural Size in Co‐ordinates Block No. Site Sequence Hectares 10. Bhani Jattan 29° 01ʹ 49.1ʺ Bawani EH, PGW, Med. 3.00 76° 05ʹ 44.3ʺ Khera 11. Bhurtana‐I 28° 54ʹ 47.1ʺ Bawani EH, MH 2.00 75° 57ʹ 28.7ʺ Khera 12. Bhurtana‐II 28° 54ʹ 33.1ʺ Bawani LH 1.50 75° 58ʹ 02.6ʺ Khera 13. Bohal 28° 57ʹ 37.3ʺ Bawani EH, Hist., E. Med 2.50 75° 56ʹ 04.2ʺ Khera 14. Chang‐I 28° 53ʹ 00.2ʺ Bhiwani EH, MH, LH 5.00 76° 13ʹ 17.5ʺ 15. Chang‐II 28° 53ʹ 13.3ʺ Bhiwani EH, MH, LH 1.50 76° 13ʹ 25.8ʺ 16. Chang‐III 28° 51ʹ 42.5ʺ Bhiwani EH, MH, LH 1.40 76° 15ʹ 01.5ʺ 17. Chang‐IV 28° 51ʹ 46.5ʺ Bhiwani EH, MH 76° 12ʹ 48.1ʺ 18. Chortapur 29° 03ʹ 41.8ʺ Bawani EH, E. Med. 2.00 75° 59ʹ 24.1ʺ Khera 19. Dhanana 28° 54ʹ 25.6ʺ Bhawani MH, LH 2.00 76° 09ʹ 11.3ʺ 20. Dhang Khurd‐I 28° 52ʹ 20.8ʺ Tosham LH 1.00 76° 00ʹ 06.4ʺ 21. Dhang Khurd‐II 28° 50ʹ 58.6ʺ Tosham LH, Med. 2.50 75° 59ʹ 55.7ʺ 22. Dohki 28° 40ʹ 02.1ʺ Dadri‐II EH, MH, LH, 3.00 76° 09ʹ 47.0ʺ Hist. 23. Durjanpur 29° 02ʹ 08.0ʺ Bawani LH 2.00 76° 00ʹ 44.8ʺ Khera 24. Fategarh 28° 39ʹ 33.8ʺ Dadri‐II LH 1.00 76° 15ʹ 08.5ʺ 25. Hindol 28° 41ʹ 57.6ʺ Dadri‐I EH, MH, LH, 1.80 76° 15ʹ 28.1ʺ Hist. 26. Jatu Luhari‐I 28° 52ʹ 05.0ʺ Bawani LH 3.00 76° 03ʹ 15.9ʺ Khera 27. Jatu Luhari‐II 28° 54ʹ 56.6ʺ Bawani LH 1.00 76° 05ʹ 30.7ʺ Khera 28. Jhinjhar 28° 39ʹ 21.0ʺ Dadri‐I EH, MH, LH, 10.00 76° 21ʹ 04.9ʺ Hist.