Evidence of Pre-Harappan Human Presence discovered in Rann of Kutch

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.