Rangpur is an ancient archaeological site near Vanala on Saurashtra peninsula in

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

western India Western India is a loosely defined region of India consisting of its western part. The Ministry of Home Affairs in its Western Zonal Council Administrative division includes the states of Goa, Gujarat, and Maharashtra along with the Union ...

. Lying on the tip between the

Gulf of Khambhat The Gulf of Khambhat, historically known as the Gulf of Cambay, is a bay on the Arabian Sea coast of India, bordering the state of Gujarat just north of Mumbai and Diu Island. The Gulf of Khambhat is about long, about wide in the north and ...

and

Gulf of Kutch The Gulf of Kutch is located between the peninsula regions of Kutch and Saurashtra, bounded in the state of Gujarat that borders Pakistan. It opens towards the Arabian Sea facing the Osman Gulf. It is about 50 km wide at the entrance bef ...

, it belongs to the period 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& ...

, and lies to the northwest of the larger site of

Lothal Lothal () was one of the southernmost sites of the ancient Indus Valley civilisation, located in the Bhāl region of the modern state of Gujarāt. Construction of the city is believed to have begun around 2200 BCE. Archaeological Survey of ...

.History of Ancient and Early Medieval India, by Upinder Singh
/ref> It is the

type site In archaeology, a type site is the site used to define a particular archaeological culture or other typological unit, which is often named after it. For example, discoveries at La Tène and Hallstatt led scholars to divide the European Iron A ...

for the Rangpur culture, a regional form of the late phase of the Indus Valley Civilization that existed in Gujarat during the 2nd millennium BCE.

Excavation

Indus Valley Civilization, Late Phase (1900-1300 BCE)

Rangpur culture: Based on the distinct

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

excavated here, it was identified as a separate culture or subculture.The Harappan Civilisation: Its Sub-cultures
Daily Pioneer, 10 May 2018. Trail Diggings were conducted by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) during 1931 led by M.S.Vats. Later, Ghurye (1939), Dikshit (1947) and

S. R. Rao Shikaripura Ranganatha Rao ( kn, ಶಿಕಾರಿಪುರ ರಂಗನಾಥ ರಾವ್) (1 July 1922 – 3 January 2013), commonly known as Dr. S. R. Rao, was an Indian archaeologist who led teams credited with discoveries of a number of ...

(1953–56) excavated the site under ASI projects. S.R.Rao has classified the deposits into four periods with three sub periods in Harappan Culture, Period II with an earlier Period, Microlithic and a Middle Paleolithic State (River sections) with points, scrapers and blades of jasper. The dates given by S.R.Rao are: * Period I - Microlithis unassociated with Pottery : 3000 BC * Period II - Harappan : 2000–1500 BC ** Period II B - Late Harappan : 1500–1100 BC ** Period II C - Transition Phase of Harappa : 1100–1000 BC * Period III - Lustrous Red Ware Period : 1000-800 BC.

Architecture and town planning

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus nam ...

wood was used in Rangpur for construction, tools and furniture.

Artefacts found

Dishes with beaded rim and grooved shoulder, painted

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

- and

redware Redware as a single word is a term for at least two types of pottery of the last few centuries, in Europe and North America. Red ware as two words is a term used for pottery, mostly by archaeologists, found in a very wide range of places. Howeve ...

and high-necked jars. Evidence of shell working found. Other artifacts found at the site include axes, beads of steatite and carnelian and Earthen wares.

Cultivation

Large quantity of plant remains were found at Rangpur. Bajra,

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

(Period IIA) and

Millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets a ...

(Period HI) were found.Bridget and Raymond Allchin (1968) The Rise of Civilisaton in India and Pakistan. Page 24

/ref>

Excavation

Architecture and town planning

Artefacts found

Cultivation

See also

References

Further reading