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Indus Valley

Statue of Hindu God Shiva Nataraja in the cosmic dance. Source: Elena Kovaleva/Adobe Stock

Shiva, One of the Oldest Gods in the World

Shiva, one of the principal deities in Hinduism, is a complex and multifaceted figure whose significance extends far beyond the bounds of religious worship. Revered as the god of destruction and...
The coins found at he coins date from the period of the Kushan Empire, which ruled the region from about the second century BC until about the third century AD  Source: Sheikh Javed Ali Sindhi

2,000-Year-Old Coin Hoard Unearthed at Buddhist Stupa at Mohenjo-Daro!

A recent archaeological discovery in Pakistan has unveiled an unbelievable hoard of copper coins, believed to be over 2,000 years old, within the ruins of a Buddhist stupa (shrine) at the ancient...
Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan. Source: robnaw / Adobe Stock

Mohenjo Daro and The Mounds That Hid a Civilization

In 1914, Rakhaldas Banerji, Director of the Western Archaeological District in Bombay (now Mumbai), went to investigate a series of mounds near the town of Dokri in Sindh Province, Pakistan. The site...
A painting by Charles Le Brun, French painter and art theorist, depicting Alexander and Porus during the Battle of the Hydaspes (1673) design by Anand N. Balaji (Public Domain); Deriv.

Alexander’s Indus Folly: Bizarre Search for the Source of the Nile in India

When the Macedonian monarch Alexander III, popularly known as Alexander the Great , arrived in the northwest of the larger Indian subcontinent in 327 BC following his conquest of the massive...
One of the Junapani stone circles in Maharashtra, India, which are now increasingly viewed as astronomically aligned burial sites.                   Source: Ganesh Dhamodkar, CC BY-SA 3.0

Junapani Stone Circles: India’s Astronomical Megalithic Tombs

India has a rich historical and archaeological record. Something that may be less known about the Indian subcontinent is its many megalithic sites. Many of these sites are found across India. The...
The analysis of fat residues on pottery reveals clues about ancient Indus Valley food preferences.

Pot Residues Lift the Lid on Ancient Indus Valley Food Choices

Researchers are getting a glimpse into ancient Indus Valley food choices by analyzing residues on ceramic pots from urban and rural settlements during the Mature Harappan period (c.2600/2500–1900 BC...
A large pot found at Keeladi. (Keeladi Tamil Civilization)

Indian Civilization Applied Advanced Nanomaterials to Their Pots 2500 Years Ago

Researchers in India have made an amazing discovery. They have found evidence for the earliest known carbon nanotubes. These are tiny materials, known as ‘nanomaterials’, that have several...
Diorama of people in the ancient Harappan culture (Indus Valley civilization).

Climate Change, Not Aryan Invaders, Caused Dramatic Fall of Indus Valley Civilization

The Indus Civilization was one of the most important Bronze Age civilizations. It was comparable in its achievements to the Egyptians and it is often claimed that it was very influential in the...
Many think of modern globalization as a corporate phenomenon, linking it to the spread of coronavirus. But in fact, archaeology evidences it began in antiquity up to 5,000 years ago. Pictured: Ptolemy’s Global map. 	Source: British Library

Elephants to Electronics: The Ancient Phenomenon of Modern Globalization

Many think of globalization as a modern and corporate phenomenon , and it has been readily linked to the spread of coronavirus. But modern globalization isn’t new. Archaeological research shows it...
Left, vervet monkey depicted in Minoan art at Akrotiri, Thera; Right, Baboon shown in a fresco at Knossos      Source: Antiquity Publications Ltd

Monkeys In Minoan Art Reveal New Bronze Age Links

Experts investigating frescoes and artworks have made some important discoveries with regard to Minoan civilization . They have found that Minoan artists realistically depicted a species of monkey...
The oldest board game in the world, the Royal Game of Ur.   Source: Shriram Rajagopalan / CC BY 2.0

Play the Oldest Board Game in the World: Royal Game of Ur - Part 2

In the first part of this article, we attempted to unravel the mystery symbolism on the oldest board game in the world - the Royal Game of Ur. The Heliopolitan creation myth was used to explain how...
The Royal Game of Ur board (or Game of Twenty Squares), found in the Royal Tombs of Ur in Mesopotamia, dating c. 2600-2400 B.C. Source: The Trustees of British Museum / Provided by the author

Deciphering the Patterns of the Royal Game of Ur Board - Part 1

The world’s first known board game was found in Mesopotamia (c. 2600 BC). Despite this, Egyptian beliefs help us best to understand the Royal Game of Ur’s board design, rules and all. Especially the...
Indus Valley seal found at Mohenjo Daro with script (Peter / Flickr)

IT Guru Unlocks Secrets of Ancient Indus Script

The Indus Valley civilization, also known as the Harappan civilization, was the earliest known urbanized ancient culture that emerged on the Indian subcontinent between 2500–1700 BC, and according to...
Minoan Monkey art in Akrotiri, Greece. Source: ZDE / CC BY-SA 3.0

Minoan Monkey Business: Fresco Links Greek Island With Asia

Experts studying ancient Minoan monkey paintings on a Greek island have made a discovery that provides new knowledge of the trade network of the archaic civilization. Analysis of a depiction of a...
Aerial view of the excavations at Keezhadi, an archaeological site in Tamil Nadu which is re-writing Indian pre-history. Source: Jothi Ramalingam

Tamil Nadu Dig Strikes Gold, Re-Writes Indian Pre-History

After four months of digging, almost 1000 artifacts were unearthed during the 5th phase of excavations in Keezhadi village in Tamil Nadu’s Sivagangai district. According to a report in New Indian...
Abraham's Journey from Ur to Canaan by József Molnár (1850)

The Other Side of the Flood: Was Abraham of Indian Descent?

A fascinating hypothesis, developed in recent years, proposes a vision of the patriarch Abraham totally different from what eminent biblical studies have until today reported. In 1552, the French...
Ruins of Mehrgarh. (M. Thoury et al./CC BY 4.0) Insert: Detail of a female figure made of terracotta from Mehrgarh, circa 3000 BC. (Denis Biette/CC BY SA 1.0)

A Treasure in Ruins: Ancient Mehrgarh Lost to Thieves and Violence

Mehrgarh is an archaeological site situated in the Balochistan, in the southwestern part of Pakistan. In the native Balochi language, ‘mehr’ is said to mean ‘love’, and ‘garh’ means heaven. Thus, the...
Representation of discovery of the skeleton at the Rakhigarhi archaeological site. Source: Elena / Adobe Stock.

DNA of 5,000-Year-Old Woman Links Modern Indians to Ancient Indus Valley Civilization

Ancient DNA from India’s Rakhigarhi archaeological site is telling volumes about the destiny of the mysterious Indus Valley Civilization. Around 3000 BC, Neolithic hunters in northern Scotland began...
The first clear example of an ancient Harappan couple burial.

Archaeologists Find the First Example of a Harappan Couple Burial

A rare discovery at an ancient Harappan site shows that death doesn’t even mean the end for some relationships. The couple’s burial stands out from others in a sprawling cemetery. Even in the grave,...
Karl Martin bought the jar at a car-boot sale with another pot for £4, was told of its antiquity by a colleague at the local auctioneers, Hansons.

Car-boot Sale Toothbrush Holder Revealed to be a 4000-year-old Artifact

In Britain there has been a discovery of a piece of pottery from one of the most important civilizations in the ancient world – and it has been serving as a toothbrush holder for a number of years...
A Pazyryk horseman from the Asian steppe in a felt painting from a burial around 300 BC. (Public Domain). Krishna with cow. (CC BY 2.0) Hathor as a cow, Papyrus of Ani (Public Domain)

Horses, Cows and Celestial Creatures at the Dawn of Civilizations

When I think of the Aryans of the ancient times, I think of Central Asia, the steppe, a horse culture that could enable their language, Sanskrit to spread, at a gallop, so to speak, westward and...
Detail of a man depicted on an Uruk vase, Pergamon Museum. The Uruk civilization arose as it expertly adapted to the new climate.

Rising to the Challenge: Innovative Civilizations Advanced Through Climate Change

Beginning around 90,000 years ago, during an interglacial period, Anatomically Modern Humans were able to take advantage of the favorable climatic conditions and migrate throughout Africa and into...
A group of Asur men outside a traditional hut in Polpol Path.

Descendants of Indus Valley Builder Tribe May Soon Disappear, Taking Secret Knowledge with Them

More than four millennia ago, the Indus Valley civilization was a vast and sophisticated culture spanning what is now Pakistan and western India. Their urban planning was admirable and they had...
Ancient City of Mohenjo Daro Has Survived 5 Millennia but May Disappear in 2 Decades

Ancient City of Mohenjo Daro Has Survived 5 Millennia but May Disappear in 2 Decades

The ancient city of Mohenjo Daro in Pakistan is considered to be the most important site connected with the great Indus Valley Civilization, also known as the Harappan civilization. When it was first...

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