Why Harappan Archaeology Is Relevant Today

Archaeological excavations in the states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh during the previous decade have yielded layers of mixed artefact deposits of both Late Harappan and Post-Harappan phases. As this shift in material culture has previously been interpreted as a hiatus, it is now more commonly viewed as a transition. This new perspective in Indian archaeology provides incoming scholars with a plethora of potential research topics and has inspired me personally to join the monumental task of conducting research in this field.

Many Indians seem surprised when I discuss my interest in studying India’s ancient past. Perhaps my accent and mannerisms seem to match that of an archetypical “ABCD” (American-Born Confused Desi), many of whom are presently engaged in other fields. As is known through some Indian media, many of us Indian-Americans face issues when attempting to amalgamate traits from two very different cultures into the identity of a single individual. My own experience in this interesting, but necessary task led me to an intellectual interest in cultures and how they change and develop over time. From this perspective, we in our current forms today, are the cumulative result of all of that which has occurred in our past. Therefore, to attain a holistic understanding of ourselves as we exist today, we must understand how our modern society gradually evolved from past societies. India contains a fascinating abundance of opportunities to conduct research and contribute to answering both the many philosophical issues regarding India’s past, and the development of human societies in general.

The Harappans

Since the excavations at Harappa, the Indus-Saraswati Civilisation or the Harappan Civilisation has been known as one of India’s many great ancient societies. The Harappans built large cities with very intricate irrigation and sanitation systems using technology that can still be found in rural India today. Harappan sites are found throughout a large area of over 1000 sq km , with artefacts also located in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE. Through the study of Harappan archaeology, these connections can be used for soft diplomacy today.

Aside from the famous undeciphered script, there are many other aspects of the Harappans that are quite interesting. Firstly, Harappan cities have no palaces or identifiable centres of political rule. This suggests that perhaps these communities were implementing a system of political organisation that differs from those we see in their contemporaneous state societies. Secondly, the Harappan culture can be roughly divided (based on artefact typology) into regional phases. Each region had a different pre-Harappan material culture and then gradually became increasingly Harappan. This phase then gradually shifts into a “late-Harappan” (also known as Post-Urban Harappan) phase that also varies from region to region and then transitions to each region’s respective-post Harappan cultures. So, the apex of what we consider classical Harappan culture can be viewed as sort of a phase of integration. However, this is a simplified general model, as each site has its own unique configuration of artefacts and fits into this larger system in its own unique way. For us to understand how this system evolved into its classical phase and then fell apart, we must gather a variety of data from a multitude of archaeological sites.

What Happened To The Harappans And Why Does It Matter?

This is a question for which there are numerous possible explanations and a plethora of opportunities to conduct original research. Going back to the introductory statement, the recent discoveries of transitional phases between the Late Harappan and the Early Historical period simply poses an increasing number of questions regarding the nature of the transition. Like modern India, only about 3 per cent of the Harappan population lived in cities, and the remainder of the population lived in towns and villages. Therefore, it is equally important for us to understand village life in ancient India, as it is to understand city life. In fact, Harappan traditions may have lasted longer in villages. A recent report of the excavations at the village of Madina in Rohtak District, Haryana estimates that elements of Harappan culture could have endured in some form until about 800 BCE (Kumar 2016, 24).However, we currently have insufficient data to answer the many philosophical questions that must be answered to fully understand the nature of this transition.

Developments in ancient India become relevant to modern India through its studies of village life. Indian archaeologists often work with the residents of the villages and towns that surround archaeological sites. Many of these villagers arrived in their current state as the result of the multitude of gradual changes that have left their marks in the material remains of a site. Understanding these changes can allow archaeologists to reconstruct social, cultural and economic changes for each site and can provide policy makers with information that can be used to find solutions for modern problems. As an additional benefit, archaeological sites can be used to strengthen villagers’ ties to their land and encourage them to continue their ancient traditions.

To understand social and cultural change in what can be defined as a complex network of interactions, one must also understand the relationships between each site and the sites around them. This requires many researchers to dedicate their lives to studying these sites. However, many of these sites are presently located on farming properties and are in danger of being destroyed. When these sites are destroyed, the data that they hold is lost forever, as the context of the artefact is equally important as the artefact itself. It is for this reason that it is imperative that Indians become involved and dedicate resources to protecting, preserving and researching these sites.

India is a very complex society and an interesting cultural phenomenon. This statement seems to be true, not only for describing modern India, but ancient India as well. It is perhaps for this reason that so many of us are so passionate about understanding the ways in which we function today and have functioned in the past. This cannot only be a point of comparison, but will hopefully become a source from which many Indians can derive inspiration and ideas for conducting modern India.