Harappa

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Conception of ancient Harappa's Mound E Gateway [link]

Harappa is a city in Punjab, northeast Pakistan, located beside a former course of the Ravi River; about 35km southwest of Sahiwal.

The modern town is built beside the remains of an ancient fortifed city, which was part of the Cemetery H and the Indus Valley Civilization. The city existed from about 3300 BCE [1] until 1600 BCE [2]. The town was believed to have as many as 40,000 residents, large for a city of its time.

In 2005 a controversial amusement park scheme at the site was abandoned when builders encountered large quantities of artifacts during the beginning of construction work. A plea from the prominent Pakistani archaeologist Ahmed Hasan Dani to the Ministry of Culture resulted in a re-survey of the site and cancellation of the project amid accusations of corruption and incompetence.

Notes

• The earliest radiocarbon dating mentioned on the web is 2725+-185 BCE (uncalibrated) or 3338, 3213, 3203 BCE calibrated, giving a midpoint of 3251 BCE. Kenoyer, Jonathan Mark (1991) Urban process in the Indus Tradition: A preliminary report. In Harappa Excavations, 1986-1990: A multidisciplanary approach to Third Millennium urbanism, edited by Richard H. Meadow: 29-59. Monographs in World Archaeology No.3. Prehistory Press, Madison Wisconsin.

• Periods 4 and 5 are not dated at Harappa. The termination of the Harappan tradition at Harappa falls between 1900 and 1500 BCE.

• Mohenjo-daro is another major city of the same period, located in Sindh province of Pakistan.

• Dholavira is an ancient Metropolitan City.

See also

• Moenjodaro
• Taxila
• Dholavira
• Lothal.

External links

• Excavations of the city are described at http://www.harappa.com.
• Discussion of Harappan Tradition and extensive Bibliography http://harappa.knows.it.

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