Tags Current Affairs

Issue

The items collected during research from the Karim Shahi in Rann of Kutch region revealed that humans occupied that region from Early Iron Age to the Early Historic (3,100 – 2,300 years) period.

 

Background

 Recent research article that says that this region might have been home to the early Iron Age settlements about 3,000 years ago. The region was also inhabited during the Medieval periods of about 1,500 to 900 years ago.

 

Details

• Researchers from IIT Kharagpur during their geological explorations stumbled upon artefacts like pitchers, jewellery, jars, figurines.

• Using modern luminescence and radiocarbon methods, the team tried to date them, which revealed that these items were the earliest to be found in the presently arid Rann of Kutch and the Thar Desert.

• The Bronze age Indus Valley civilisation started declining around 4,000 years and finally collapsed at 3,300 years before present.

• After this period there is no evidence of any settlements in the Indus valley region. This was called the ‘Dark Age’.

• The Karim Shahi region was found to be very close to sea-level and based on the artefacts collected it has been pointed out that this region could have been a local trade center. The people are believed to have traded jewellery and pottery.

• Also, Chinese and Persian pottery were found at the Vigakot site indicating that it was a hub for a long-distance trade both through sea and land from China through India to West Asia.

• Sedimentological observation revealed that below these settlements, there was evidence of riverine system.

• Carbon isotopes and pollens in these sediments revealed that there was gradual increase in grasslands and plant communities that thrive in arid environments.

• The Monsoon started to decline 7000 years ago. Eventhough Harappan people had adopted water conservation techniques, they were forced to migrate from early Iron Age till medieval time.