essay
Mehrgarh: its place in the development of ancient cultures in Pakistan
forgotten cities on the indus • Mainz, Germany • Published In 1991 • Pages: 34-50, 243
By: Jarrige, Jean-François.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
The site of Mehrgarh and its discovery are discussed. In particular, the early dates (an aceramic neolithic horizon dates earlier than 9000 B.P.) from the site indicates this region wasn't a cultural backwater when compared with the Neolithic in the Zagros in the Middle East. In addition there are many similarities between the first farmers in the Zagros and in the Iranian Plateau when compared to Baluchistan, although these similarites do not indicate direct diffusion (i.e. Mehrgarh was not settled by colonists from these areas). Radiocarbon dating at the site has been complicated by root masses, some fossilized, in the stratum down to 7 meters which make many dates to appear later than they are. The Neolithic appears to have occurred simultaneously at Kili Gul Mohammad in the highlands and at Merhgarh in the lowlands probably due to seasonal migration between the two areas. The development of the neolithic at this site can be followed from an aceramic neolithic stage, where the earliest settlers obtained most of their meat through hunting while at the same time they harvested a wild variety of barley on a large scale, up to the start of the chalcolithic period where the use of copper can already be seen in neolithic graves. This large scale harvesting required large granaries. By 8000 B.P. these structures indicate there had to be a social organization capable of controling this storage and its distribution. The cemeteries also point to a social organization capable of some sort of craft specialization.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Identification
- Topography and geology
- Comparative evidence
- Historical reconstruction
- Acculturation and culture contact
- Ceramic technology
- Settlement patterns
- Chronologies and culture sequences
- traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Indus Neolithic
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2004
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Asia
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- South Asia
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- essay
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Archaeologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Sarah Berry ; 2002
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- no date given
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 9000 BP-6500 BP (7000 B.C.-4500 B.C.)
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Mehrgarh, Kachhi, Balochistan, Pakistan
- NotesAdditional notes
- Jean-François Jarrige
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 243)
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Neolithic period