Mehrgarh civilization

Early Indian Civilization: Beyond the Aryan Arrival

For a long time, scholars thought Indian civilization began when the Aryans arrived. But in 1922, archaeologists discovered something amazing—the Harappan Civilization existed much earlier in the Indus Valley. This makes India home to one of the world’s oldest civilizations.

Some experts believed the Harappan Civilization was just an offshoot of Mesopotamia (Sumerian civilization). But new research shows Harappa was unique and its differences with Mesopotamia are bigger than its similarities.

Traces of an Even Older Culture

Before the Harappan Civilization, there were earlier settlements in places like Baluchistan. Some key sites include Keli Gul Mohammad, Dumb Sadat (in the Quetta region), the Lorelai Valley, Rana Ghundai, Periyana Gundi, Khulli-Mehi, and Mehrgarh.

The Significance of Mehrgarh

Discovered in 1974, Mehrgarh (near the Bolan Pass) covers 500 acres. French archaeologists Jean-François & Catherine Jarrige led the excavations.

✔ 7 layers of settlement—the oldest 3 date back to the Neolithic Age (Stone Age).
✔ Shows how nomadic tribes slowly became city-dwellers.
✔ Proof of early farming, pottery, and animal domestication.

This means India’s civilization didn’t start with the Aryans—it was already thriving thousands of years earlier!

Different stages of Mehrgarh civilization

First stage Mehrgarh civilization:

The period of the first stage of the Mehrgarh civilization is 7000 – 5000 BCE. (This is evaluated by the Radiocarbon-14 method).

Features :

1. Initially, it was a temporary habitat for hunters and nomadic pastoralists, after which it developed into a permanent habitat and developed an agrarian way of life.
2. The dwellings were made of bricks of equal size with dry clay.
3. Mill, hammer, hoe, sickle and stone tools are found here.
4. Domestic animals, including cows, sheep, goats and bulls, etc were present there.
5. Various kinds of barley and wheat were cultivated here.
6. The pottery did not match in the corner of this period. However, six human statues have been found.
7. At this stage, the space between two houses or two houses was usually used as a graveyard. The bodies were buried on their knees and tilted to one side. However, the head was not always kept to one side.
8. Sea oysters used to come to this area due to the connection of the coastal area with Mehergarh. But probably turquoise was imported from Central Asia or Persia and also the Baidurya gems from Afghanistan.
9. From this time onwards, Mehergarh gradually started moving towards urbanization.

Second stage Mehrgarh civilization:

The period of the second phase of Mehergarh culture is 5,000 – 4,000 BCE.

Features:

1. Lots of cotton seeds have been found in this period. From this, it can be concluded that people used to cultivate cotton in this period.
2. Cultivation of various agricultural products such as wheat, barley and cotton proves human control over water.
3. The existence of cattle, sheep, and goats as domestic animals was found.
4. The use of earthenware was widespread. At first, these were made. Later, with the invention of the wheel around 4000 AD, it became easier to make those potteries.
5. The existence of different types of stones and shells in this period indicates long-distance trade.

Third stage of Mehrgarh civilization:

The period of the third phase of this civilization is 4000 – 3200 BCE.

Features:

1. The progress of agriculture can be seen by looking at the huge list of crops cultivated in this period.
2. At this stage, pottery of various colors started to be made using wheels and fire of a furnace.
3. A copper bead and ring were found in the first and second stages. However, in the third phase, there exist at least fourteen terracotta pans/ovens for smelting copper. This proves the widespread use of copper at this time.
4. During this time, the spread of foreign trade started.

Stage 4 to 7 of Mehrgarh civilization:

It is not possible to specify the exact duration of this episode, but several changes are noticed in this episode. They are:

Features:

1. The people of this age used different types and colors of pottery.
2. During this period, female statues and seals of terracotta were made. These are the forerunners of the female statues and seals found in the Harappan civilization.
3. Evidence of cutting canals for irrigation of crops in this period was found.
4. The decline of the Mehrgarh civilization began in the middle of the third millennium BC and the inhabitants probably migrated elsewhere.

Vimbetka Cave

Vimbetka is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is located in Raisen district at the southern end of the Vindhya Mountains & 45 km south of Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh.

It was used by Paleolithic people about 1 million years ago. Cave paintings can be seen at this place. At first, it was thought to be a Buddhist site, but later it was discovered by Dr. VS Wakankar, the father of Indian cave paintings. It was recognized by UNESCO in 2003.

FAQs