Pastoralism, climate change, and the transformation of the Indus Civilization in Gujarat: Faunal analyses and biogenic isotopes (original) (raw)
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Journal of Archaeological Science, 2014
The Indus Civilization (2600e1900 BC) in Gujarat is characterized by a series of small yet monumentally walled settlements located along trade and travel corridors. The manufacture and use of typically Harappan material culture at these settlements demonstrates that many residents of these sites participated in exchange and interaction networks that linked them to distant Indus cities. Less is known, however, regarding the ways in which the residents of these sites were situated into their local landscapes. Here we combine previously published faunal analyses from the small walled settlement of Bagasra in the Indian state of Gujarat, with a preliminary investigation of intra-and inter-individual variation in the ratios of biogenic isotopes of strontium ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr), carbon (d 13 C), and oxygen (d 18 O) in the tooth enamel of domestic animals consumed at the site. 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios in the teeth of sheep and goats exhibit little intra-or inter-individual variation suggesting that most were raised locally while greater inter-individual variation in the teeth of cattle suggesting that nearly half of these animals were either raised further afield or were supplied with fodder raised elsewhere. d 13 C values from these same samples in the teeth of sheep and goats exhibit considerable intra-individual variation suggesting of a seasonally variable diet incorporating significant wild forage while uniformly higher values in the teeth of cattle suggest that they consumed mostly agricultural produce throughout the year. d 18 O values in the teeth of both sets of domestic livestock exhibit considerable intra-individual variation commensurate with the seasonal variation in temperature and rainfall characteristic of the region while variation between taxa is consistent with observed dietary differences. Taken together, our findings provide new information regarding the ways in which the domestic animals consumed at Bagasra were raised and obtained while establishing an empirical baseline necessary for further exploration of the land-use changes that may have accompanied the emergence and decline of South Asia's first urban civilization.
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 (δ 13 C SOM) 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.
Quaternary International, 2013
The present work aims at setting the bases for the critical study of settlement patterns and resource management among Holocene hunteregatherer and agro-pastoral groups in arid margins. The case study is set on the SW margin of the Thar Desert, in N Gujarat, an ecotone sensitive to the slightest shifts in precipitation patterns (Indian Summer Monsoon). The potential significance of published and newly acquired archaeological information is discussed in the light of physiographical data collected from satellite imagery and field exploration. The review of available and newly acquired records includes: (a) The integration of field and remote observation of regional traits and (b) The definition of active morphological processes that may bias archaeological preservation and visibility. A synthetic geoarchaeological map of the study area is proposed that integrates physiographical and archaeological evidence at the regional scale. The potential significance of the archaeological evidence in the region (i.e. presence/absence/concentration of archaeological materials in different physiographical units) is discussed in terms of preservation and visibility. At this stage, results are considered at the regional level of macroscopic units. The results constitute the first step towards the full multi-scalar integration of landscape architectures, stratified archaeological sites and surface sediments at regional and local levels.
The present work aims at setting the bases for the critical study of settlement patterns and resource management among Holocene hunter–gatherer and agro-pastoral groups in arid margins. The case study is set on the SW margin of the Thar Desert, in N Gujarat, an ecotone sensitive to the slightest shifts in precipitation patterns (Indian Summer Monsoon). The potential significance of published and newly acquired archaeological information is discussed in the light of physiographical data collected from satellite imagery and field exploration. The review of available and newly acquired records includes: (a) The integration of field and remote observation of regional traits and (b) The definition of active morphological processes that may bias archaeological preservation and visibility. A synthetic geoarchaeological map of the study area is proposed that integrates physiographical and archaeological evidence at the regional scale. The potential significance of the archaeological evidence in the region (i.e. presence/absence/concentration of archaeological materials in different physiographical units) is discussed in terms of preservation and visibility. At this stage, results are considered at the regional level of macroscopic units. The results constitute the first step towards the full multi-scalar integration of landscape architectures, stratified archaeological sites and surface sediments at regional and local levels.
2020
Human migration in response to climate change during the Holocene has been recorded in many regions of the world. The Todas are a pastoralist people who are believed to have colonized the higher elevations (>2000 m asl) of the Nilgiris in the Western Ghats, India, not earlier than about 2000 cal. yr BP. Vegetation shifts in response to changing climate in tropical montane forest-grassland mosaic of the Ghats have been well documented using stable carbon isotopes and pollen profiles; however, there have been no corresponding investigations of human presence and activity at the highest elevations. We used a number of other proxies to infer the human ecology of this montane region. Radiocarbon dated (~22,000 cal. BP to the present) peat samples from the Sandynallah basin (2200m asl, Nilgiri hills, Tamil Nadu State) were used to reconstruct fire history, animal abundance, and human presence since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). While the macro-charcoal record indicates fires at the L...
Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 1 : 288‐300 , 2013
Archaeological research conducted in Gujarat (North‐Western Indian Peninsula) has revealed intense human occupation during the Mesolithic and Bronze Age periods. Recently, the North Gujarat Archaeological Project (NoGAP) has initiated a series of investigations to understand socio‐ ecological dynamics in this area through the systematic collection and analysis of environmental and bio‐ archaeological samples. Different methodologies (i.e. geoarchaeology, archaeobotany and GIS) have been applied to the study of archaeological material and natural profiles. Amongst these, stable isotopes analysis was used to investigate the response of the modern vegetation system to changes in environmental factors. In this paper, we show the preliminary results of Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotopes analysis of modern specimens of local vegetation. A sampling transect was realised, from Saurashtra to the Thar Desert (Gujarat and Rajasthan, India), covering all the pluviometric areas that characterise this semi‐arid ecotone. The sampling aimed at testing the response of modern vegetation to changes in water availability in this environment, while monitoring the mechanism that regulates the absorption of carbon isotopes in a monsoon regime. The results will be used to calibrate this response and get a function of transfer that will allow us to use archaeological plant material to infer information about past monsoon changes thus inferring what the role of monsoon were on the socio‐ecological dynamics of this area.
Understanding the interplay between subsistence strategies and settlement patterns is fundamental for elucidation of past economical and cultural changes. Gujarat, on the periphery of the Harappan universe, has distinct regional traditions, including material culture displaying an independent style with the local indigenous hunter and food-gathering communities. Long traditions of the Harappan influence are documented at a number of sites, whose material culture and town planning are similar to those of the Indus Valley Civilization. Thus, Gujarat stands as an important region for understanding larger spheres of interaction during the Harappan period. Two agricultural strategies can be identified at Kanmer, one is based on rabi crops on which the Harappan Civilization was founded, and the second by the addition of kharif crops. This article presents the constant but more gradual change seen in the subsistence system and at the same time supports hypotheses concerning Harappan subsistence in the northwestern region on one hand, and the potential for new subsistence models, particularly in Gujarat, on the other.
Research Square (Research Square), 2023
Stable isotopic compositions of carbon and nitrogen (δ 13 C, δ 15 N) of archaeological grains/seeds recovered from different cultural layers of an Indus archaeological site 4MSR (29°12'87.2"N; 73°9'421"E; Binjor, western Rajasthan, India) provide insights into the Harappan agriculture between ~ 2900 to ~ 1800 BCE. While δ 13 C values were used to retrieve hydrological status, δ 15 N values were used to gauge agricultural intensi cation. Isotopic data of grains/seeds were generated representing three Indus phases (i) early phase (~ 2900 − 2600 BCE), (ii) transitional phase (~ 2600 − 2500 BCE) and (iii) mature phase (~ 2500 − 1800 BCE). We nd δ 13 C values of barley grains (winter crop) varied in overlapping ranges for all the three phases − 21.3‰±1.9; −22.9‰±1.6 and − 22.7‰±1.7 respectively (n = 10 for each phase) indicating insigni cant changes in hydrology for winter crops. For summer crops cotton also, average δ 13 C values for transitional phase − 23.7‰±1.8 were not signi cantly different from those of mature phase − 22.5‰±2.4. δ 15 N barley values also varied in wider ranges, however, intra-phase variability appears to have progressively increased from early (8.0‰±1.7) to transitional phase (7.3‰±2.5) and then mature phase (9.2‰±7.2) indicating a plausible agricultural intensi cation. We also measured δ 13 C of host soil organic matter (SOM) and sediment δ 15 N to assess regional environmental conditions. In contrast to the trends observed for archaeological grains, δ 13 C SOM values showed a statistically signi cant enriching trend from early (−23.6‰±1.4) to mature phase (−20.3‰±1.9) hinting a growing aridity in the region. We surmise that Harappan farmers of western Rajasthan region might be managing arable hydrological conditions in their elds through agricultural interventions to continue agriculture practices despite growing aridity in the vicinity.