An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c9.s15.5

v1.c9.s15.5

The PGW culture falls very broadly between the end of the Harappa culture [4.9], as evidenced at ROPAR and the beginning of the NBPW culture [4.18.1] as at ROPAR and HASTINĀPURA. The evidence from BHAGWAN-PURA² however suggests that it overlapped with a late amalgam of a pre-Harappa and Harappa cultures. This would indicate the lower limit, which unfortunately is not yet ¹⁴C-dated. Evidence also has it, e.g. at ŚRĀVASTĪ, MATHURA, etc., that towards its upper end the PGW overlapped with the NBPW. Three ¹⁴C dated from MATHURA place the PGW-NBPW overlap to 610 ± 150, 670 ± 100 and 730 ± 150 B.C.; MASCA-corrected, these dates go back to 750, 790 and 810 B.C. HASTINĀPURA, however, has given late dates, e.g. 570 ± 125 or even 335 ± 110 B.C. for the upper PGW levels, but it was also duly noted by the laboratory that the samples contained rootlets; there is thus every possibility of contamination resulting in the lateness of the dates. Amongst the earliest dates so far obtained for the PGW are: 725 ± 150 and 820 ± 225 B.C. for the middle levels of the culture at NOH, and 1025 ± 100 B.C., again for a middle level of the culture at ATRANJIKHERA. With the application of MASCA corrections the corresponding dates would be 805, 900 and 1155 B.C. Thus though the HASTINĀPURA ¹⁴C dates have created some confusion, there is little doubt that the beginning of the PGW culture at NOH and ATRANJIKHERA would be well before 1000 B.C. At these places the culture is associated with iron. Thus when duly established after further fieldwork the pre-iron stage may turn out to be still earlier.