Harappan Exploitation Practices: A Comparative Regional Study

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The Harappan civilization, which dates from approximately 2500 to 2000 B.C., is centered on the riverine region of the Indus Valley and thus, encompasses portions of northwestern India and adjacent Pakistan. Harappan sites include large urban centers and this culture marks the appearance of true civilization in India. While the emergence of civilization has been widely studied in the Middle East and Egypt, relatively little is known about this Eastern counterpart. In this research, Dr. Richard Meadow will analyze faunal materials collected from the excavation of eight Harappan sites. These remains of both hunted and domesticated animals will be identified to the species level. Through dental analysis Dr. Meadow will also determine ages of death. Examination of bone breakage and fragment distribution will allow him to determine culling, butchering, and distribution patterns. With these data he will address a number of major questions. What was the nature of faunal exploitation practices at sites in the Greater Indus Valley leading up to and during the period of the Harappan phenomenon? Was animal exploitation in the immediate pre-Harappan period different from that in the Harappan and did it change in the course of the Harappan period? Were new domestic animals introduced into the region? Did animal exploitation practices differ significantly between contemporary sites? If they did, are the differences correlated with site size, structure, and function? Are there patterned differences in the nature of faunal remains recovered from different sectors of sites? If so, can they be interpreted as relating to differential access to animal resources by different segments of the population? This research is important because a study of the faunal procurement and distribution system provides a direct and important insight into how this early civilization functioned. Through this research Dr. Meadow will learn about the forces which gave rise to this early urban phenomena, which sustained it and then led to its decline. The results should be generalizable to other such societies in many parts of the world.