Why in news
A joint study by five prominent institutions has found evidence of a cultural continuity in Vadnagar in present-day Gujarat even after the collapse of the Harappan civilization.
From deep archaeological excavation at Vadnagar, a consortium of scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Physical Research Laboratory, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Deccan College has now found evidence of a human settlement that is as old as 800 BCE contemporary to late-Vedic/pre-Buddhist Mahajanapadas or oligarchic republics.
Why Vadnagar is important in ancient indian history
Vadnagar was a multicultural and multireligious (Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Islamic) settlement.
Excavation in several deep trenches revealed the presence of seven cultural stages (periods) namely, Mauryan, Indo-Greek, Indo-Scythian or Shaka-Kshatrapas (‘Satraps’), descendants of provincial governors of ancient Achaemenid Empires, Hindu-Solankis, Sultanate-Mughal (Islamic) and Gaekwad-British colonial rule and the city endures even today.
One of the oldest Buddhist monasteries has been discovered during our excavation.
We found characteristic archaeological artefacts, potteries, copper, gold, silver and iron objects and intricately designed bangles.
We also found coin moulds of the Greek king Appollodatus during the Indo-Greek rule at Vadnagar,”.
The period between the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilisation and the emergence of the Iron Age and cities such as Gandhar, Koshal, and Avanti is often depicted as a Dark Age by archaeologists.
COMMENTS