Rangpur is an ancient archaeological site in

Surendranagar district Surendranagar is an administrative district in Saurashtra region of Gujarat state in India. It has a population of approximately 1.7 million people. Surendranagar, along with the twin city of Wadhwan, has a total of 400,000 inhabitants, an ...

near Vanala on Saurashtra peninsula in

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, 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 List of states and union territories ...

western India Western India is a loosely defined region of India consisting of western states of India, Republic of India. The Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Ministry of Home Affairs in its Western Zonal Council Administrative divisions of India, Adminis ...

. Lying on the tip between the

Gulf of Khambhat The Gulf of Khambhat, also 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 up to wi ...

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 Gulf of Oman. It is about 50 km wide at the entrance b ...

, 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 from 2600 BCE ...

, and lies to the northwest of the larger site of

Lothal Lothal () was one of the southernmost sites of the ancient Indus Valley civilization, Indus Valley civilisation, located in the Bhal region of the Indian state of Gujarat. Construction of the city is believed to have begun around 2200 BCE. Di ...

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

type site In archaeology, a type site (American English) or type-site (British English) 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 H ...

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

Rangpur culture: Based on the distinct

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

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 (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 wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...

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

Artifacts found

Dishes with beaded rim and grooved shoulder, painted

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

- and redware 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 (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 millets belong to the tribe Paniceae. Millets are important crops in the Semi-arid climate, ...

(Period HI) were found.

Diet

People of Rangpur culture used rice and bajra for food. They also used to consume milk and curds from their domesticated animals.

Excavation

Architecture and town planning

Artifacts found

Cultivation

Diet

See also

References

Further reading