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Rakhigarhi
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{{Short description|Archaeological site in Haryana, India}}{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}{{Use Indian English|date=October 2017}}- the content below is remote from Wikipedia
- it has been imported raw for GetWiki
factoids | |
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|location = Haryana, India
|region =
|type = Settlement
|part_of =
|length =
|width =
|area = {{convert|80|â|105|hectare|sqkm sqmi|abbr=on}}{{sfnp|Possehl|2002|p=72}}{{sfnp|Coningham|Young|2015|p=183}}{{sfnp|Kenoyer|1998|p=49}}{{sfnp|Allchin|Erdosy|1995|p=78}}{{sfnp|Heitzman|2008|p=35}}{{sfnp|Wright|2009|p=133}}{{refn|group=note|name="size"}}
|height =
|builder =
|material =
|built =
|abandoned =
|epochs =
|cultures = Indus Valley civilization
|dependency_of =
|occupants =
|event =
|excavations = 1963, 1997â2000, 2012â2016, 2021âpresent
|archaeologists =
|condition =
|ownership =
|management =
|public_access =
|website =
|notes =
Site characteristics
Location
It is located in the Ghaggar plain,{{sfnp|Wright|2009|p=133}} some 27 km from the seasonal Ghaggar river. Today, Rakhigarhi is a small village in Haryana State, India.Census of India, 2011 According to Jane McIntosh, Rakhigarhi is located in the valley of the prehistoric Drishadvati River that originated in Siwalik Hills.{{sfnp|McIntosh|2008|p=76}} Chautang is a tributary of Sarsuti river which in turn is a tributary of Ghaggar river.Site size and number of mounds
Most scholars, including Gregory Possehl, Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, Raymond Allchin and Rita P. Wright believe Rakhigari to have been between 80 hectares and 100+ hectares in size.{{sfnp|Allchin|Erdosy|1995|p=78}}{{sfnp|Kenoyer|1998|p=49}}{{sfnp|Possehl|2002|p=72}}{{sfnp|Heitzman|2008|p=35}}{{sfnp|Wright|2009|p=133}}{{sfnp|Coningham|Young|2015|p=183}}{{refn|group=note|name="size"}} According to Nath et al. (2015), "[a]rchaeological remains at Rakhigari extend over a radius of [{{convert|300|hectare|km2}}] encompassing a set of seven mounds of which 1 to 5 are integrated while a few are removed from each other."{{sfnp|Nath et al.|2015}}The mounds are numbered following the naming convention of "RGR-x" e.g. RGR-1 to RGR-11. Until 2014, seven mounds were known. The 2014 excavation discovered two more mounds, RGR-8 and RGR-9, situated east and west of the main site, and largely destroyed for cultivation. According to Vasant Shinde each mound has a size size of 25 hectares, taking the total site size to {{convert|350|hectare|km2}}, and thus making Rakhigarhi largest Indus Valley Civilization site by overtaking Mohenjodaro (300 hectares) by 50 hectares. The 2016 excavation claimed to have found two more mounds, RGR-10 and RGR-11, making the total number of mounds 11.Dating
{{see also|Periodisation of the Indus Valley Civilisation|l1=Periodisation of IVC|Pottery in the Indian subcontinent|l2=Archaeological pottery culture in India|Black and red ware}}According to Garge Tejas the earliest settlements in Rakhigarhi predate the Indus Valley Civilization.{{sfnp|Garge|2010|p=15}} According to Possehl not all mounds in Rakhigarhi belong to the same Indus Valley settlement, stating that "RGR-6, a Sothi-Siswal site known as Arda, was probably a separate settlement."{{sfnp|Possehl|2002|p=72}} Mounds RGR1 to RGR-6 are residential sites belonging to "pre-formation age early Harappan" era, while mound RGR-7 is a burial site where human skeletons were found. ASI has carbon dated mound labelled RGR-1, RGR-2, RGR-6 and RGR-7. The RGR-6 has two layers of Preharappan Phase dating to 5,640 years before present (BP) and 5,440 (BP). The RGR-1 has Early Harappan Phase dating to 5,200 and 4,570 years BP. The RGR-2 also has Early Harappan Phase dated to 5,200 and 4,570 years as well as two additional samples belonging to Mature Harappan Phase dating to 4,040 and 3,900 years BP. RGR-7, which is a cemetery or a burial site from Mature Harappan Phase, dates back to 4600 BP.{{sfnp|Shinde et al.|2019}}In 2014 six radiocarbon datings from excavations at Rakhigarhi between 1997 and 2000 were published by archaeologist Amarendra Nath, corresponding to the Pre-formative, Early Harappan, and Mature Harappan phases. Mound RGR-6 revealed a Pre-formative stage designated as Sothi Phase with the following two datings: 6420 pm 110 and 6230 pm 320 years before present, converted to 4470 pm 110 B.C.E. and 4280 pm 320 B.C.E.{{sfnp|Nath|Garge|Law|2014|p=84}}Nearby sites and cultures
Rakhigarhi, being the largest town and regional trade centre of IVC era, is surrounded by numerous IVC sites nearby in Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab along the Gagghar-Hakra river course. The important ones among those are the Bhirrana (4 phases of IVC with earliest dated to 8th-7th millennium BCE) 86 km northwest,{{sfnp|Mani|2008|p=237-238}}{{sfnp|Sarkar et al.|2016|p=2-3}} Kunal (belonging to Kunal cultural which is the cultural ancestor of Rehman Dheri site) 75 km northwest,Charles Keith Maisels, Early Civilizations of the Old World: The Formative Histories of Egypt, The Levant, Mesopotamia, India and China. Routledge, 2003 {{ISBN|1134837305}}JOURNAL, Archaeological Survey of, India, Excavations at Kunal,Haryana, Indian Archaeology 1998-99 a Review, 2004, 11â12,weblink 13 July 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120508064754weblink">weblink 8 May 2012, dead, Siswal (belonging to Sothi-Siswal culture dated to 3800 BC, contemporaneous to Early-Harappan Phase) 75 km west,{{sfnp|Garge|2010|pp=15â40}}The Harappan Civilisation: Its Sub-cultures, Daily Pioneer, 10 May 2018. and Kalibangan (another large regional IVC city with several phases starting from Early harappan phase) 235 km west,BOOK, History of India, Herman, Kulke, Routledge, 2004, 25, 9780415329200,weblink and few more.There are many other important archaeological sites in this area, in the old river valley to the east of the Ghaggar Plain. Among them are Kalibangan, Kunal, Balu, Bhirrana, and Banawali.{{sfnp|Nath|Garge|Law|2014|p=84}}Excavations
{{see also | Phase (archaeology) | l1= Phases in archaeology | Chronological dating | l2= Archaeological chronology dating | Pottery#Fabric | l3= Fabric analysis }}By 2020, only 5% of the site had been excavated by the ASI and Deccan College.Chronology of excavations
While the earliest excavation of IVC sites started from Harappa in 1921-1922 and Mohenjo-daro in 1931, the excavations at Rakhigarhi were first carried out in 1969, followed by more excavations in 1997â98, 1998â99 and 1999â2000, between 2011â16 and 2021 onward. There are 11 mounds in Rakhigarhi which are named RGR-1 to RGR-11, of which RGR-5 is thickly populated by establishment of Rakhishahpur village and is not available for excavations. RGR-1 to RGR-3, RGR6 to RGR9 and some part of RGR-4 are available for excavations.Discoveries
File:Skeleton harappa.JPG|thumbnail|The skeleton of a female found at Rakhigarhi and now on display in the National Museum.]]Findings confirm both early and mature Harappan phases and include 4,600-year-old human skeletons, fortification and bricks.Planned city
The ASI's detailed excavation of the site revealed the size of the lost city and recovered numerous artefacts, some over 5,000 years old. Rakhigarhi was occupied at Early Harappan times.{{sfnp|Possehl|2002|pp=63, 71, 72}}WEB, Harappan Surprises,weblink Frontline (magazine), Frontline, 13 June 2014, 14 March 2018, Evidence of paved roads, drainage system, large rainwater collection, storage system, terracotta bricks, statue production, and skilled working of bronze and precious metals have been uncovered.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} Jewellery, including bangles made from terracotta, conch shells, gold, and semi-precious stones, have also been found.weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070225134410weblink">Chandigarh Newsline, 2/23/2007, 'Rakhigarhi is the Largest Harappan Site Ever Found'Digging so far reveals a well planned city with 1.92 m wide roads, a bit wider than in Kalibangan. The pottery is similar to Kalibangan and Banawali. Pits surrounded by walls have been found, which are thought to be for sacrificial or some religious ceremonies. There are brick lined drains to handle sewage from the houses. Terracotta statues, weights, bronze artifacts, comb, copper fish hooks, needles and terracotta seals have also been found. A bronze vessel has been found which is decorated with gold and silver. A gold foundry with about 3000 unpolished semi-precious stones has been found. Many tools used for polishing these stones and a furnace were found there. A burial site has been found with 11 skeletons, with their heads in the north direction. Near the heads of these skeletons, utensils for everyday use were kept. The three female skeletons have shell bangles on their left wrists. Near one female skeleton, a gold armlet has been found. In addition semi precious stones have been found lying near the head, suggesting that they were part of some sort of necklace.Granary
A granary belonging to mature Harappan phase (2600 BCE to 2000 BCE) has been found here. Granary is made up of mud-bricks with a floor of ramped earth plastered with mud. It has 7 rectangular or square chambers. Significant traces of lime & decomposed grass are found on the lower portion of the granary wall indicating that it can also be the storehouse of grains with lime used as insecticide & grass used to prevent entry of moisture. Looking at the size, it appears to be a public granary or a private granary of elites.NEWS, Ancient granary found in Haryana,weblink The Hindu, 2 May 2014,Tools
Hunting tools like copper hafts and fish hooks have been found here. Presence of various toys like mini wheels, miniature lids, sling balls, animal figurines indicates a prevalence of toy culture. Signs of flourishing trade can be seen by the excavation of stamps, jewelry and 'chert' weights. Weights found here are similar to weights found at many other IVC sites confirming presence of standardized weight systems.NEWS, Dig this! 5,000-yr-old skeletons found in Hisar,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150415222158weblink">weblink dead, 15 April 2015, Hindustan Times, 15 April 2015,Culture, clothing and worship
Fire altars and apsidal structures were revealed in Rakhigarhi.{{dead link|date=November 2021}}Cotton cloth traces preserved on silver or bronze objects were known from Rakhigarhi, Chanhudaro and Harappa.{{sfnp|McIntosh|2008|p=293, 333}} An impressive{{quantify|date=September 2021}} number of stamps seals were also found at this site.{{sfnp|Possehl|2002|pp=63, 71, 72}}Cemetery and burial sites
A cemetery of Mature Harappan period is discovered at Rakhigarhi, with eight graves found. Often brick covered grave pits had wooden coffin in one case.{{sfnp|Possehl|2002|pp=63, 71, 72}} Different type of grave pits were undercut to form an earthen overhang and body was placed below this; and then top of grave was filled with bricks to form a roof structure over the grave.{{sfnp|McIntosh|2008|p=215, 293}}So far 53 burial sites with 46 skeletons have been discovered. Anthropological examination done on 37 skeletons revealed 17 to be of adults, 8 to be of subadults while the age of 12 skeletons could not be verified. Sex detection of 17 skeletons was successful out of which 7 were male and 10 female skeletons. Most of the burials were typical burials with skeletons in a supine position. Atypical burials had skeletons in a prone position. Some graves are just pits while some are brick lined and contain pottery. Some of them also had votive pots with animal remains symbolizing offerings to the dead. Bone remains of secondary burials were not charred hence ruling out the possibility of cremation practices. While these burials retained many of the Harappan features, group burials and prone position burials are distinct. Paleo-parasitical studies and DNA analysis to determine the lineage is being undertaken.NEWS, 26 March 2018, Mysteries of Rakhigarhi's Harappan Necropolis: In burials from 4,000 years ago, women both exalted, condemned, The Indian Express,weblink JOURNAL, Shinde, Vasant S., Kim, Yong Jun, Woo, Eun Jin, Jadhav, Nilesh, Waghmare, Pranjali, Yadav, Yogesh, Munshi, Avradeep, Chatterjee, Malavika, Panyam, Amrithavalli, 2018-02-21, Archaeological and anthropological studies on the Harappan cemetery of Rakhigarhi, India, PLOS ONE, en, 13, 2, e0192299, 10.1371/journal.pone.0192299, 1932-6203, 5821334, 29466426, 2018PLoSO..1392299S, free, Parasite eggs which were once existed in the stomach of those buried were found in the burial sites along with human skeletons. Analysis of Human aDNA obtained from human bones as well as analysis of parasite and animal DNA will be done to assert origins of these people.NEWS, 12 January 2014, Scientists to study parasite eggs in Harappan graves, The Times of India,weblink WEB, Biomedical Studies on Archaeology,weblink 19 February 2014,Skeleton finds
{{See also|Indo-Aryan migrations|Indigenous Aryanism}}In April 2015, four 4,600-year-old complete human skeletons were excavated from mound RGR-7. These skeletons belonged to two male adults, one female adult (classified as 'I6113') and one child.{{sfnp|Shinde et al.|2019}} Pottery with grains of food as well as shell bangles were found around these skeletons.NEWS, Dig this! 5,000-yr-old skeletons found in Hisar,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150415222158weblink">weblink dead, 15 April 2015, Hindustan Times, 15 April 2015, {{anchor | Love | Couple | Love birds | Rakhigarhi love birds }}{{external media| float = | width = 258px| topic = | caption = | headerimage= | title =skeleton of "Rakhigarhi love birds" buried together with male (11A) facing the woman (11B), with their Antyesti#Cremation rituals>feet pointing south and head towards north.}}Two of the skeletons, a man between 35 and 40 years old and women in early 20s, who died around the same time. They were found buried together side by side with men's head facing the women. Their ceremonial burial indicates that they were not in illicit relationship and the lovebirds were likely married to each other. Pots found in their grave likely carried food and water as offering to the dead. The agate found near he collar bone of the male was likely part of a necklace.Ancient lovers found in Indian burial site mystify and intrigue archaeologists, CNN, January 10, 2019.Vasant Shinde1, et al, 2018, A young couple's grave found in the Rakhigarhi cemetery of the Harappan Civilization, Anatomy & Cell Biology, vol 51 (3), pp. 200-204. The male was {{height|cm=177}} tall and female was {{height|cm=171}}. Their skeleton had no abnormalities, injuries or sign of disease. They were both likely "quite healthy" at the time of their death.Harappa grave of ancient 'couple' reveals secrets, BBC, 9 January 2019.Shinde et al. (2019) have carried out DNA-tests on a single skeleton. Results announced in September 2018, and a paper published in Cell Magazine in 2019, show that the DNA did not include any traces of steppe ancestry, which is in line with the Aryan migration theory, which says that Indo-Aryans migrated to India from the steppes after the Harappan civilization had started to disintegrate.{{sfnp|Shinde et al.|2019}}{{sfnp|Joseph|2019}}WEB,weblink DNA analysis of Harappan skeleton from Rakhigarhi: Thin evidence, Mahalakshmi, R., Frontline, October 2019, en, 2019-12-07, WEB,weblink Scientists Part of Studies Supporting Aryan Migration Endorse Party Line Instead, The Wire, 2019-12-07, JOURNAL,weblink Where did the Indus Valley people come from?, Das, Biplab, September 2019, Nature India, 10.1038/nindia.2019.121, 31 January 2024, 2020-04-17, The DNA of a single male skeleton (classified as 'I4411') shows affinity with present-day subaltern South Indian, Tamil tribal populations,JOURNAL, Supplementary Materials for The formation of human populations in South and Central Asia, 2019, 307â308, 10.1126/science.aat7487, 31488661, Narasimhan, V. M., Patterson, N., Moorjani, P., Rohland, N., Bernardos, R., Mallick, S., Lazaridis, I., Nakatsuka, N., Olalde, I., Lipson, M., Kim, A. M., Olivieri, L. M., Coppa, A., Vidale, M., Mallory, J., Moiseyev, V., Kitov, E., Monge, J., Adamski, N., Alex, N., Broomandkhoshbacht, N., Candilio, F., Callan, K., Cheronet, O., Culleton, B. J., Ferry, M., Fernandes, D., Freilich, S., Gamarra, B., Gaudio, D., Science, 365, 6457, 6822619, 1, most notably the Irula people.JOURNAL, Supplementary Materials for The formation of human populations in South and Central Asia, 2019, 209, 10.1126/science.aat7487, 31488661, 201845485, Narasimhan, V. M., Patterson, N., Moorjani, P., Rohland, N., Bernardos, R., Mallick, S., Lazaridis, I., Nakatsuka, N., Olalde, I., Lipson, M., Kim, A. M., Olivieri, L. M., Coppa, A., Vidale, M., Mallory, J., Moiseyev, V., Kitov, E., Monge, J., Adamski, N., Alex, N., Broomandkhoshbacht, N., Candilio, F., Callan, K., Cheronet, O., Culleton, B. J., Ferry, M., Fernandes, D., Freilich, S., Gamarra, B., Gaudio, D., Science, 365, 6457, 6822619, 1, A total of 61 skeletons were found till 2016.As the skeletons were excavated scientifically without any contamination, archaeologists think that with the help of latest technology on these skeletons and DNA obtained,WEB,weblink Why Hindutva is Out of Steppe with new discoveries about the Indus Valley people, 6 September 2018, it is possible to determine how Harappans looked like 4500 years ago. The average height is estimated to have been {{height|cm=175.8}} for men and {{height|cm=166.1}} for women.Nath A., Walimbe S.R., Garge T.M., Mushrif-Tripathy V., Dehuri R., and Malik A. (2015) Harappan interments at Rakhigarhi, Haryana. Man and Environment, XL: 9â32.Site conservation and developmentEndangered heritage siteIn May 2012, the Global Heritage Fund declared Rakhigarhi one of the ten most endangered heritage sites in Asia facing the threat of irreparable loss and destruction due to development pressures, insufficient management and looting.WEB, Rakhigarhi likely to be developed into a world heritage site, India Today,weblink 31 March 2013, 2013-08-08, A 2012 study by the Sunday Times found that the site is not being looked after; the iron boundary wall is broken, and villagers sell the artefacts they dig out of the site and parts of site are now being encroached by private houses.WEB,weblink , Due to the lack of site protection the site is being destroyed by soil erosion, encroachments, illegal sand lifting, theft of archaeological artifacts for illegal sale. It is a punishable crime to sell or buy artifacts found in the ancient sites. 80% of mound 6 â a residential site of Harappan Era and 7 which is a burial site where 4 human skeletons were recovered in 2015 have been destroyed due to cultivation and soil mining., Can Rakhigarhi, the largest Indus Valley Civilisation site be saved? , Archana , Khare Ghose , 3 June 2012 , Sunday Times , 5 June 2012 Site encroachmentsParts of mounds R4 and R5 have been encroached by the villagers who have built 152 houses.Damini Nath (2020), At Haryana's Harappan site of Rakhigarhi, anxiety trumps history, The Hindu, Feb 27, 2020. The ASI has only 83.5 acres of the 350-hectare site that entails 11 archaeological mounds, due to encroachments and pending court cases for the removal of the encroachments.Site rehabilitation and preservationIn February 2020, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the site of Rakhigarhi would be developed as an iconic site.WEB,weblink Rakhigarhi to be developed as iconic site, ASI has commenced the plan to remove encroachments from the site, including 152 houses on the R4 and R5 mounds. Villages, whose houses in the site will be removed, will be relocated and rehabilitated in the housing flats on another location.Site museum and lake{{see also|Haryana Rural Antique Museum|Jahaj Kothi Museum}}Rakhigarhi, which is an Indus Valley civilisation site, also has a museum developed by the state government.Harappan museum at Rakhigarhi There is also Haryana Rural Antique Museum 60 km away, which is maintained by CCS HAU in its Gandhi Bhawan, exhibits evolution of agriculture and vanishing antiques.WEB, Gazetteer of India Haryana, Hisar,weblink revenueharyana.gov.in, Government OF Haryana, 31 May 2016, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140501213030weblink">weblink 1 May 2014, Jahaj Kothi Museum, named after George Thomas, is located inside Firoz Shah Palace Complex and maintained by Archaeological Survey of India.Jahaj Kothi museumTo develop Rakhigarhi as the global heritage, two johad (water bodies) across the road to museum are developed as lakes. The lake has been deepened by digging and traditional ghats with burji on the banks of lake have been constructed. A park is developed the spare land of the lake. A walking track around the lake, with shady trees and fruit trees, has been constructed for the tourists.Lake being built in Rakhigarhi (english translation of original hindi news "à¤à¤à¤¡à¥à¤à¤¢à¤¼ à¤à¥ सà¥à¤à¤¨à¤¾ लà¥à¤ à¤à¥ तरà¥à¤ पर राà¤à¥à¤à¤¢à¤¼à¥ मà¥à¤ बन रहॠà¤à¥à¤²"), Dainik Jagran, 16 Sept 2021. The traditional ghats represent the past scenario when paleo-Drishadvati river use to flow through Rakhigarhi which had ghats for transporting goods for trade, via Lothal port and Dholavira, as far as Mesopotamia (ancient cities of Elam and Sumer).DNA analysis of Harappan skeleton from Rakhigarhi: Thin evidence, Frontline, October 11, 2019.See also
Notes{hide}reflist|group=note|refs={{refn|group=note|name="size"|Size:
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