History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c11.s1.9

v1.c11.s1.9

In the peripheral zone, Kalibangan in Rajasthan has been exhaustively dated. Considering only those samples that were protected from more recent contamination by a good soil cover, we find that TF-607 and TF-608 date the beginning of the Harappan culture at that site around 4150 B.P. and that TF-143, TF-149 and TF-946 date the upper levels to around 3700 B.P. Lothal provides a quite consistent set of dates giving a minimum spread of 4050- 3650 B.P. (obtained by adding one standard deviation on either side). In view of the thinness of the occupational deposit at Lothal, compared to the other Harappan sites, we prefer the minimum time spread of around 4050-3750 B.P. This bracket is further confirmed by the radiocarbon dates from Surkotada, also in Gujarat, where a bracket of 4150-3750 B.P. covers the total Harappan occupation and is in conformity with the dates from Rojdi. Thus, a comprehensive bracket of 4250-3650 covers both the nuclear (main Indus) and the peripheral Harappan timespreads. (Fig. 1).