Shell Scatters, Deposits, MiddleDens, Stone Tools. Researchers have found Rare Evidence of Human Settlement in Kutch. As they dug deper, they found that kutch was home to prehistoric hunter-gather Communities could be the harappan era. A recent study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) Has offered new insights into kutch’s cultural evolution.
The study by IITGN Researchers, in Collaboration with Experts from Iit Kanpur (IITK), Inter University Accelerator Centre (IUAC) Delhi, and Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) AHMEDABAD, HAS UNCOVEROLOOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOG Evidence that pushes back the human presence in this region by at five thousand years prior to the Arrival of Harappans.
These communities inhabited a mangrove-dominated landscape, relieved on shell species (bothe bialves like oysters and gastropods), and naturally adapted to Such environment.
“While British Surveyors had previously noted shell accumulations in the area, these were not recognized as shell-midden sits, the heaps of discarded shells from human consumption,” Explained Prabhakar, An Asciate Professor at the Archaeological Science Center in the Department of Earth Sciences at IITGN and Lead Investigator of the Study.
“Our study is the first to identify these sites, confirm their cultural significance, and establish a chronological context,” he added.
These newly identified sites are the first of their kind to be documented in the kutch region, with a defined cultural and chronological context. According to the Researchers, The findings also show similaries with coastal archaeological sites in the las bela and makran regions of Pakistan regions and the oman peninsula, suggesting that early coastal communities aism. Region may have developed comparable strategies for food collection and survival.
“The shell samples collected from khadir and nearby islands were analysed at prl Ahmedabad, Prbhakar.
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To determine the age of these sites, the researchers used accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), a precise method for measuring the radioactive isotope value of carbon-14 (c 144) from the shell remains, Whickeh. All Living Organisms. After death, C-14 begins to decay and is reduced by Half every 5,730 years. Measuring the present amount in the shell samples allows scientists to estimate how long ago the organism died. As Atmospheric C-14 Levels Have Varied Over Time, The Results Were Calibrated Using Tree Ring Data. Trees form one ring perform per year, and these thousands can be matched and extended back over thorands of years, allowing scientists to construct an accurate reference time of atmospheric C-14.
The team discovered a variety of stone tools used for cutting, scraping, and splitting. Used cors from which the tools were manufactured were also found. “The presence of these tools and associated raw materials suggests that the communities engaged in the prolific manfacture of implements for Daily Tasks,” Said Dr Shika Rai Rai, A Postdocal ReesaARCHER AT ITGN Co-Outhor of the Study. The raw materials may have been sourced from khadir island, now known for housing the harappan city of dholavira.
The study challenges the common Held view that urbanism in kutch developed primarily under the influence of the sindh region. “Instead of abrupt external influence, what we see here is a gradual, locally rooted process of adaptation and cultural development,” Said Prof Prabhakar. “This accumulated knowledge of local geology, water resources, and navigation may have later helped the harappans plan more effectively and engine in Long-Distance Trade.”
The Researchers also believe that shell midns and scatters will be important in palaeoclimate studies. Since Climate Change Unfolds Gradually Over Millennia and Cannot Be Directly Observed in the Short Term, Natural Materials Like Shells Some Signals That Help Reconstruct Past Past Environment.
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Previous studies at IITGN have already mapped the palaeoclimate of khadir island over the past 11,500 years.
Further Analysis of the Recently Discoved Shell Middle Middle May Contribute Critical New Insights Into the climate conditions in which early humans lived.
“Humans in the past adapted to differnt climatic zones and environmental challenges with the aid of modern technologies,” Explained Dr Rai, Adding: “Their ability to Observe, and Liveen Limits are something wrong from today, especially in the context of global climate change. “
The team now at Mapping Cultural Developments in Gujrat, from prehistoric to historical periods, to build a broader understanding of how human adaptation has evolved.
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The finds from this study were presented at the 17th Annual Workshop on South Asian Archaeology (Hartwick College and University of Chicago), The seminar series on the archaeology on the Indiaology of the Indianian Bordends (Sorbonne University, Paris), and the 50th Annual Conference of the Indian Society for Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies (ispqs), Raipur – All in 2025.
The Research Team Includes Prof Vikrant Jain of the Earth Sciences Departments, IITGN; Prof javed malik and debajyoti paul of iitk; Pankaj Kumar of Iuac, Delhi and Mahndrasinh Gadhavi of LD college, Ahmedabad.