Read the ground
Archaeology through different evidence
Compare an excavated city, agricultural remains, inscribed objects and river sediments. Each source answers a different historical question.
5 entries · 11 min reading, calculated from article text
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Your reading goal
Distinguish an observed object, a scientific reconstruction and a proposed explanation without turning uncertainty into a fixed story.
- 01Places · 2 min read
Harappa: a city beneath the mounds
Harappa’s mounds preserve successive settlements, including its major urban phase. Excavated buildings invite interpretation, not certainty about their purpose.
- 02History · 2 min read
Harappan urban planning: streets, water and different cities
Compare the evidence for city organisation at Harappa, Mohenjo-daro and Dholavira without assuming one identical plan.
- 03History · 3 min read
Harappan agriculture and food: crops, cooking and labour
Seeds, plant micro-remains and fats in pottery reveal different parts of Indus food systems, with important limits on each.
- 04History · 2 min read
Harappan seals and the undeciphered script
Compare actual seals and impressions while keeping visible signs, possible functions and unverified readings distinct.
- 05History · 2 min read
Changing river courses: reading Punjab’s archaeological landscape
Learn how dated sediments distinguish an ancient river channel from a river flowing beside a Harappan settlement.
A question to carry with you
Choose one claim from your reading. Identify its source and locator. What does that source directly establish, and what would need a second source?