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Water supply and history: Harappa and the Beas regional survey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Rita P. Wright ,
Reid A. Bryson  and
Joseph Schuldenrein
Rita P. Wright
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York 10003, USA (Email: rita.wright@nyu.edu)
Reid A. Bryson
Affiliation:
Center for Climatic Research, University of Wisconsin, 1225 W. Dayton St., Madison, WI 53706-1695, USA (Email: rabryson@wisc.edu)
Joseph Schuldenrein
Affiliation:
Geoarchaeology Research Associates, 5912 Spencer Avenue, Riverdale, New York 10471, USA (Email: geoarch@aol.com)
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Extract

Introducing the methods of archaeoclimatology, the authors measure the relative locus of the monsoons, the intensity of winter rains and the volume of water in the rivers in the Upper Indus, in the region of Harappa. They also note the adoption of a multi-cropping agricultural system as a possible strategy designed to adjust to changing conditions over time. They find that around 3500 BC the volume of water in the rivers increases, and the rivers flood, implying annual soil refreshment and the consequent development of agriculture. By contrast, from around 2100 BC the river flow begins to fall while the winter rains increase. This time-bracket correlates nicely with the brief flourishing of Harappa. The locally derived evidence from Harappa combined with the Beas survey data provide a model for understanding the abandonment of settlements in the Upper Indus and possibly the wider civilisation.

Keywords

IndusHarappaagricultureclimateriver flow
Type
Research article
Information
Antiquity , Volume 82 , Issue 315 , March 2008 , pp. 37 - 48
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 2008

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