An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v2.c35.139

v2.c35.139

The foregoing dating was done at a time (1952) when the ¹⁴C method was not available in India. When it did become available and samples were sent, these gave rather late dates e.g. 340 ± 115 B.C for a lower level of Pd III and from 570 ± 125 B.C. to 335 ± 110 B.C. for the upper levels of Pd II. At the same time it was noted by the laboratory that practically all the samples were mixed with rootlets, which made it difficult to rely on them. Duly corrected ¹⁴C dates from other sites in the region, e.g. MATHURA, NOH and ATRANJIKHERA, indicate that the overlap between the PGW and NBPW may have taken place in the 7th-6th century B.C. (for calibration of ¹⁴C dates, see 5.3; for a ¹⁴C date of 550 B.C. the range of the ‘corrected’ date would be anywhere between 510 and 660 B.C. Ralph *et al.*, 1973), and the beginning of the PGW may go back even to the 12th century B.C. At the w. sites in Haryana the PGW may have come into being even earlier, as indicated by its overlap in a pre-iron context with a culture derived from an amalgam of a pre-Harappa and Harappa cultures (evidence form BHAGWANPURA²). The dating at Hastināpura thus seems to be re-affirmed as follows: Pd I : first half of 2nd millennium B.C.; Pd II : early 11th to early 8th century B.C.; Pd III : early 6th B.C. to 3rd century B.C.; Pd IV: early 2nd century B.C. to 3rd century A.D., and Period V: late 11th to early 15th century A.D.