Why in the News?

IIT Gandhinagar researchers have found evidence that humans lived in the Great Rann of Kutch 5,000 years before the Harappans, likely as coastal hunter-gatherers.

About the Khadir Island Sites:

• Location: Khadir Island (Khadir Beyt) is in the Great Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, near the well-known Harappan site of Dholavira.
• Geographic Context: The island is one of 6 that were surrounded by water 5,000–6,000 years ago, due to higher sea levels.
• Discovery Site: In 2016, researchers discovered archaeological remains near Bambhanka, about 1 km from Dholavira.
• Site Features: Findings include house complexes, broken potsherds, marine shells, carnelian and agate flakes, and wall remnants made from random rubble masonry.
• Shell Deposits: A 30–40 cm thick shell deposit was found on a hillock’s western edge, exposed by a pipeline trench. Similar shells were first reported in 1872 by geologist Arthur Beavor Wynne.
• Shell Species: The Terebralia palustris shell species indicates a mangrove ecosystem once existed here.
• Other Sites: Additional shell midden sites were discovered at Laungwali, Kunduwari, Ganeshpar, and Janan, mostly located 2–2.5 km from the coast.

Key Findings:

• Archaeological Significance:
  • Evidence suggests prehistoric hunter-gatherers lived here 7,000–7,500 years ago, before the Harappans.
  • Carbon dating of 15 shell samples shows they are 5,000–5,500 years older than Harappan remains.
  • A 400–500 year time lag may exist due to shellfish diets, meaning actual dates could be older.
• Diet and Food Practices:
  • Broken shell middens and discoloured shells suggest people cooked and ate shellfish.
  • The diet likely included plants, fruits, tubers, and nuts, though no plant remains have yet been found.
• Lifestyle and Settlement:
  • These were mobile hunter-gatherers, not permanent agriculturalists.
  • They likely moved seasonally, occupying each site for part of the year.
• Tool Use:
  • Stone tools (flakes and cores) made of chert, jasper, chalcedony, basalt, limestone, and quartzite were found.
  • Smaller fragments may have served as arrow tips.
  • Agate, found locally, and other materials suggest trade or resource mobility.
• Trade and Cultural Links:
  • Non-local tool stones indicate exchange networks.
  • Similarities with tools from Las Bela (Pakistan) and coastal Oman point to long-distance prehistoric connections across the northern Arabian Sea.

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