Subsistence System, Paleoecology, and 14C Chronology at Kanmer, a Harappan Site in Gujarat, India

Goyal, Pankaj; Pokharia, Anil K.; Kharakwal, J. S.; Joglekar, Pramod; Rawat, Yadubirsingh; Osada, Toshiko

doi:10.1017/s003382220004786x

Cited by 6 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The present evidence from Khirsara site clearly indicates that the shift in existing cropping-practices and cultivation of millet-based crops began at ~4,200±100 yrs BP aridity event in the peripheral (arid) zone of Indus civilization. Similar patterns were also observed at Kanmer [ 3 ] during the late phase of Mature Harappan era in the same ecological zone.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 84%

“…The strategic shift towards monsoon-suitable crops might be due to human adaptation during prolonged drought conditions. Similar evidence of agricultural shift has also been recorded for the late mature phase (4,100–3,900yrs BP) at Kanmer [ 2 , 3 ] and Kotada-Badli (~4,200–3,900yrs BP [Pokharia, unpublished data] in the same ecological zone. The typical cultivated foxtail millet of Chinese origin has been reported since ~4,500 yrs BP in the subcontinent [ 41 , 42 ].…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 76%

“…It has to be noted that the Khirsara archaeological site falls under the semi-arid to arid zone of Indian monsoon coverage area [ 1 ], where sharp changes in summer-monsoon intensity can severely impact local agronomy, crop-cultivation and crop-yield. Dry phases of climate in the northwestern India have been shown to favor millet-based crops [ 2 , 3 ]. The occurrence of significant change in crop-type from barley-based to millet-based crops at ~4200yrs BP from a well-dated archaeological site falling under semi-arid zone of Gujarat is noteworthy in context of some recent reports from the core region of Indus culture that push the times of arrival and demise of Harappan culture back in time [ 4 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Archaeological sites of western India hold clues to these important issues. Earlier studies [ 2 , 3 ] suggested that a change in cropping pattern may have been employed as an adaptive measure, but the question still remains as to whether the overall economy and cultural activities of the Harappan inhabitants remained unaffected or showed signatures of fading after ~4,100±100 yrs BP dry-phase of climate?.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Altered cropping pattern and cultural continuation with declined prosperity following abrupt and extreme arid event at ~4,200 yrs BP: Evidence from an Indus archaeological site Khirsara, Gujarat, western India

Pokharia¹,

Agnihotri²,

Sharma³

et al. 2017

PLoS ONE

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Archaeological sites hold important clues to complex climate-human relationships of the past. Human settlements in the peripheral zone of Indus culture (Gujarat, western India) are of considerable importance in the assessment of past monsoon-human-subsistence-culture relationships and their survival thresholds against climatic stress exerted by abrupt changes. During the mature phase of Harappan culture between ~4,600–3,900yrsBP, the ~4,100±100yrsBP time slice is widely recognized as one of the major, abrupt arid-events imprinted innumerous well-dated palaeo records. However, the veracity of this dry event has not been established from any archaeological site representing the Indus (Harappan) culture, and issues concerning timing, changes in subsistence pattern, and the likely causes of eventual abandonment (collapse) continue to be debated. Here we show a significant change in crop-pattern (from barley-wheat based agriculture to ‘drought-resistant’ millet-based crops) at ~4,200 yrs BP, based on abundant macrobotanical remains and C isotopes of soil organic matter (δ13CSOM) in an archaeological site at Khirsara, in the Gujarat state of western India. The crop-change appears to be intentional and was likely used as an adaptation measure in response to deteriorated monsoonal conditions. The ceramic and architectural remains of the site indicate that habitation survived and continued after the ~4,200yrsBP dry climatic phase, but with declined economic prosperity. Switching to millet-based crops initially helped inhabitants to avoid immediate collapse due to climatic stresses, but continued aridity and altered cropping pattern led to a decline in prosperity levels of inhabitants and eventual abandonment of the site at the end of the mature Harappan phase.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Altered cropping pattern and cultural continuation with declined prosperity following abrupt and extreme arid event at ~4,200 yrs BP: Evidence from an Indus archaeological site Khirsara, Gujarat, western India

Pokharia¹,

Agnihotri²,

Sharma³

et al. 2017

PLoS ONE

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“…Cattle/water-buffalo and goat/ sheep are often conflated in zooarchaeological studies, and it is difficult to individually identify them in general based on fragmentary skeletal remains. While the detailed analysis of archaeozoological material of the site is not yet complete, the preliminary zoo-archaeological study at Kotada Bhadli and at other nearby settlements also grouped these animals as cattle/water-buffalo and goat/sheep 13,17,22,57,59 .…”

Section: Animal Rearing At Kotada Bhadli and Its Possible Effect On Lmentioning

confidence: 99%

Compound specific isotope analysis of lipid residues provides the earliest direct evidence of dairy product processing in South Asia

Chakraborty

Slater

Miller

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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The early evidence of domesticated animals and human–animal interaction in South Asia can be traced back to the seventh millennium BCE; however, our understanding of their use is incomplete and limited to the analysis of animal bones from archaeological sites. By the third millennium BCE with the emergence of the Indus Civilization, cattle and water-buffalo became the primary domesticates and outnumbered any other animals at the majority of the Indus settlements. Based on the analysis of skeletal remains and ethnographic data, a number of studies have suggested that cattle and water-buffalo were utilized for their meat, dairy, hides, and other labor-oriented jobs. While some of these claims are backed by empirical data, others are primarily discussed as hypotheses, for example, the exploitation of dairy. In this paper, by analyzing the absorbed lipid residues from fifty-nine ceramic sherds recovered from an agro-pastoral settlement that was occupied during the peak of the Indus period around mid- to late third millennium BCE, we provide the earliest direct evidence of dairy product processing, particularly from cattle and possibly from some water-buffalo. By providing direct evidence of animal product processing, we identify the use of primary domesticated animals and other resources in the diet during the Indus Civilization.

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The transformation of cropping patterns from Late Neolithic to Early Iron Age (5900–2100 BP) in the Gansu–Qinghai region of northwest China

et al. 2020

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The Gansu–Qinghai region lies in the key position for trans-Eurasian cultural exchange, and hence investigations of the history of agricultural development in this region are significant for understanding the spatiotemporal evolution of prehistoric crop dispersal in Eurasia. However, systematic archaeobotanical studies concerning the history of the development of prehistoric agriculture in this area are scarce. Here, based on archaeobotanical analysis and radiocarbon dating at the Jinchankou site, we investigated the history of agricultural development in the Datong River valley during the Qijia culture. Combined with previous archaeobotanical studies of the Gansu–Qinghai region, we explored the diachronic changes in the cropping patterns from the Late Neolithic to the Early Iron Age. The results suggest that millet remained the most important subsistence plant during 4100–3700 BP, while barley and wheat were first cultivated around 3900 BP at the Jinchankou site. Humans only cultivated foxtail and broomcorn millet in the Gansu–Qinghai region with a high level of agricultural management during 5900–4000 BP. Barley and wheat were added to the agricultural system in the area during 4000–3600 BP, although they played a subsidiary role compared with millet. During 3600–2100 BP, barley played an increasingly important role in the Gansu–Qinghai region but with evident differences among geomorphic units, and there was an obvious decrease in agricultural management level. It is likely that the transformation of cropping patterns and agricultural management levels in the Gansu–Qinghai region from 5900 to 2100 BP was primarily promoted by prehistoric trans-continental cultural exchange and secondly by climate change in the area.

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Subsistence System, Paleoecology, and 14C Chronology at Kanmer, a Harappan Site in Gujarat, India

Cited by 6 publications

References 3 publications

Altered cropping pattern and cultural continuation with declined prosperity following abrupt and extreme arid event at ~4,200 yrs BP: Evidence from an Indus archaeological site Khirsara, Gujarat, western India

Altered cropping pattern and cultural continuation with declined prosperity following abrupt and extreme arid event at ~4,200 yrs BP: Evidence from an Indus archaeological site Khirsara, Gujarat, western India

Compound specific isotope analysis of lipid residues provides the earliest direct evidence of dairy product processing in South Asia

The transformation of cropping patterns from Late Neolithic to Early Iron Age (5900–2100 BP) in the Gansu–Qinghai region of northwest China

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