A place to begin
First steps in Punjab history
Start with the landscape, then move from an ancient city to later institutions and the sources that preserve their histories.
5 entries · 10 min reading, calculated from article text
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Your reading goal
Distinguish a historical region from a modern state and read a place through more than one kind of evidence.
- 01History · 2 min read
Harappan civilisation in Punjab
Harappa was part of a much wider Indus world. Its excavated sequence and surrounding settlements reveal urban life, craft and changing landscapes without turning ancient archaeology into a modern nationality.
- 02Places · 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.
- 03Places · 2 min read
Lahore: a city read through its streets
Lahore’s history is visible in royal monuments, domestic streets and the work of conservation. Begin with the Walled City, while keeping this historic urban core distinct from the larger modern metropolis.
- 04Places · 2 min read
Amritsar: settlement, sarovar and city
Discover Amritsar’s growth around a sacred pool and settlement, alongside its trading streets, education and production.
- 05History · 2 min read
The annexation of Punjab in 1849
Trace Punjab’s annexation in 1849 through the earlier Lahore settlement, the dated transfer of power and a later critic’s challenge to its justification.
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?