Archaeological and anthropological studies on the Harappan cemetery of Rakhigarhi, India

PloS One
Vasant S ShindeDong Hoon Shin

Abstract

An insufficient number of archaeological surveys has been carried out to date on Harappan Civilization cemeteries. One case in point is the necropolis at Rakhigarhi site (Haryana, India), one of the largest cities of the Harappan Civilization, where most burials within the cemetery remained uninvestigated. Over the course of the past three seasons (2013 to 2016), we therefore conducted excavations in an attempt to remedy this data shortfall. In brief, we found different kinds of graves co-existing within the Rakhigarhi cemetery in varying proportions. Primary interment was most common, followed by the use of secondary, symbolic, and unused (empty) graves. Within the first category, the atypical burials appear to have been elaborately prepared. Prone-positioned internments also attracted our attention. Since those individuals are not likely to have been social deviants, it is necessary to reconsider our pre-conceptions about such prone-position burials in archaeology, at least in the context of the Harappan Civilization. The data presented in this report, albeit insufficient to provide a complete understanding of Harappan Civilization cemeteries, nevertheless does present new and significant information on the mortuary practices...Continue Reading

References

Jan 1, 1984·American Journal of Physical Anthropology·B H Smith
Sep 11, 2017·International Journal of Paleopathology·John R Lukacs
Jan 1, 2012·International Journal of Paleopathology·Gwen Robbins SchugA R Sankhyan

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Citations

Oct 13, 2018·Anatomy & Cell Biology·Vasant ShindeDong Hoon Shin
Oct 19, 2019·Cell·Maanasa RaghavanAnna-Sapfo Malaspinas

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