Alamgirpur
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Alamgirpur is an archaeological site of the
Indus Valley civilization The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900&n ...
that thrived along
Yamuna River The Yamuna ( Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of Ban ...
(c. 3300–1300 BC) from the
Harappa Harappa (; Urdu/ pnb, ) is an archaeological site in Punjab, Pakistan, about west of Sahiwal. The Bronze Age Harappan civilisation, now more often called the Indus Valley Civilisation, is named after the site, which takes its name from a mode ...
n- Bara period, located in
Meerut district, Uttar Pradesh Meerut district, is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and Meerut is the district headquarters. Meerut district is also a part of the Meerut division. The administrative head of district of Meerut is a District Magistrate ...
, India. It is the easternmost site of the civilization.


Historical significance

This site was also called Parasaram-ka-khera. This site was discovered by Punjab University in 1974.


Excavation

The site was partially excavated in 1958 and 1959 by Archaeological Survey of India.


Period I

On excavation, the site showed four cultural periods with intervening breaks; the earliest of them represented by a thickness of 6 feet, belonged to Harappan Culture. Although kiln burnt bricks were in evidence, no structure of this period was found, probably due to the limited nature of the excavations. Brick sizes were, 11.25 to 11.75 in. in length, 5.25 to 6.25 in. in breadth and 2.5 to 2.75 in.in thickness; larger bricks averaged 14 in. x 8 in.x 4 in. which were used in furnace only. The date range of 2600 to 2200 B.C. (calibrated) has been proposed for the earliest level at Alamgirpur.


Artifacts found

Typical Harappan pottery was found and the complex itself appeared to be a pottery workshop. Ceramic items found included roof tiles, dishes, cups, vases, cubicle dice, beads, terracotta cakes, carts and figurines of a humped bull and a snake. There were also beads and possibly ear studs made of
steatite Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is composed largely of the magnesium rich mineral talc. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occur in the zo ...
paste,
faience Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major ad ...
, glass, carnelian, quartz, agate and black jasper. Little metal was in evidence. However, a broken blade made of copper was found.


Other findings

The head of a bear (?) being a part of a vessel was discovered at Alamgirpur. A small terracotta bead-like structure was coated with gold. Evidence of cloth is found in way of impressions on a trough; yarn used for cloth looked fairly fine and weaving method used is "plain weave".


Period II

The gap between Period I and Period II was represented by the textural composition of layers in addition to their respective cultural assemblage. Deposits belonging to Period I were compact and brownish. That of Period II was loose and grey with frequent bands of burnt earth and ash. Although kiln burnt bricks were in evidence, no structure of Harappan period was found, probably due to the limited nature of the excavations.


Importance

Discovery of Harappan culture in at Alamgirpur enormously enlarged the horizon of
Indus Valley civilisation The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900&n ...
in the eastern direction, in India. Four periods of Alamgirpur respectively belonged to (I) Harappan, (II) Painted Grey Ware (III) Early historical and (IV) Late Medieval Period.


See also

*
Daimabad Daimabad is a deserted village and archaeological site on the left bank of the Pravara River, a tributary of the Godavari River in Shrirampur taluka in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra state in India. This site was discovered by B. P. Bopardi ...
souththernmost IVC site *
Shortugai Shortugai (Shortughai), in Darqad District of northern Afghanistan, was a trading colony of the Indus Valley civilization (or Harappan Civilization) established around 2000 BC on the Oxus river (Amu Darya) near the lapis lazuli mines. It is co ...
, northernmost IVC site *
Sutkagan Dor Sutkagan Dor (or Sutkagen Dor) is the westernmost known archaeological site of the Indus Valley civilization. It is located about 480 km west of Karachi on the Makran coast near Gwadar, close to the Iranian border, in Pakistan's Baluchista ...
westernmost IVC site *
Sokhta Koh Sokhta Koh (also known as Sotka Koh; lit. "burnt hill") is a Harappan site on the Makran coast, near the city of Pasni, in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It was first surveyed by American archaeologist George F. Dales in 1960, while exp ...
*
Malwan Aagar faliya (also known as Malvan aagar faliya) is a small Indus Valley civilisation site, located at Valsad district in Gujarat, India. This site is, sometimes, considered one of the southernmost limits of Indus Valley civilisation, the other o ...


References

{{Reflist Indus Valley civilisation sites Meerut district History of Uttar Pradesh