Rajkot: One of Gujarat’s greatest archaeological enigmas is set to be studied further as Kachchh University and the University of Oxford embark on a joint three-year research project to unravel how Harappan communities flourished in the shifting landscapes of Kutch more than 4,000 years ago.Krantiguru Shyamji Krishna Verma Kachchh University (KSKVKU) and the University of Oxford have launched a collaborative research initiative to investigate the environmental and maritime history of the Harappan civilisation in western India.The partnership was formalised through a memorandum of understanding signed earlier this year. Researchers have now begun work on the three-year project.Titled “Excavations at Dholavira and Associated Harappan Sites in Gujarat: Investigating Palaeo-Environments, Sea Levels and Early Seafaring Traditions”, the project is being co-directed by Gaurav D Chauhan, assistant professor and head of the department of archaeology at KSKVKU, and Ajay Yadav, a DPhil candidate at the University of Oxford’s School of Archaeology under the supervision of Professor Damian Robinson.The study seeks to address a longstanding geographical puzzle surrounding Harappan settlements scattered across the islands of the Great and Little Ranns of Kutch.Researchers note that many of these settlements were located in environmentally fragile and agriculturally marginal regions, yet they supported sustained habitation between 2600 BC and 1900 BC.The project will test the hypothesis that these settlements once stood along dynamic estuarine or marine landscapes, giving ancient communities strategic access to inland and coastal trade networks.To understand environmental changes in the region since the mid-Holocene period, around 8,000 years ago, the team is adopting a multidisciplinary approach.“The scope of the collaboration includes archaeological excavations at the fortified urban centre of Dholavira, GIS-based spatial mapping, pottery provenance studies tracking circulation routes and ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis to distinguish marine versus terrestrial environments. The team will also examine local place-name evidence and cultural memories of seafaring to help reconstruct the ancient landforms,” said Chauhan.Researchers said the findings could shed new light on ancient sea levels, changing coastlines, trade routes and the role of maritime activities in sustaining Harappan settlements in Kutch.As part of the collaboration, preliminary fieldwork has already been carried out in the western Thar region and the Great Rann of Kutch to identify priority study areas and refine research strategies.The project will now move into a more intensive phase, with one major excavation season planned each year at Dholavira between December and March.The periods between excavation seasons will be dedicated to laboratory analysis, interpretation of findings and integration of data gathered from multiple disciplines.Researchers believe the collaboration combines local archaeological expertise with international academic resources and could significantly advance understanding of one of the world’s earliest urban civilisations and its relationship with the evolving landscapes of Kutch.
