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Burzahom Neolithic Settlement

Burzahom

India · Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar

SettlementExcavation completed
Approximate period3,000 BCE — 1,000 BCENeolithic, Megalithic and Early Historic phases See on the map ↓

In brief

Excavations documented the transition from pit dwellings to above-ground structures and a rich assemblage of bone tools. The numerical date range is the approximate framework given in the UNESCO nomination description; the site has been on the Tentative List since 2014.

What was found?

  • 1Pit dwellings

    Round and oval pits dug into the natural soil contain postholes. According to researchers, their coverings provided protection against harsh weather conditions.

  • 2Bone harpoons and needles

    The bone tools include harpoons, eyed and eyeless needles, and awls. They provide evidence of different activities, such as hunting and hide working.

  • 3Polished stone axes

    Polished axes are among the stone tools from the settlement’s early phases. They show the variety of technologies used alongside bone tools.

  • 4Human and animal burials

    Animal remains accompany some human burials; separate animal burials were also found. These document the diversity of burial practices, but do not by themselves explain a particular belief.

  • 5Stone engraved with a hunting scene

    The scene on the stone features human and dog figures. It shows that everyday activities became subjects of visual representation.

What does it point to?

The finds reveal a way of life in which hunting, tool production and changing dwelling forms can be traced together. The burials and engraved stone also offer a window into the community’s symbolic behavior; their detailed meanings require interpretation.

What did it teach us?

  1. They documented the transition from pit dwellings to above-ground structures made of mud and mudbrick.
  2. They showed that bone and stone tools were used together.
  3. They revealed that humans and animals were placed together in some burials.

Record

Culture
Kashmir Neolithic culture and later local communities
First modern dig
1935
Team / historical
Archaeological Survey of India; T. N. Khazanchi
Coordinates
34.1697°, 74.8669°

Sources

  1. whc.unesco.org
  2. asi.nic.in
  3. igntu.ac.in
  4. Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts / ASI — A Picture Emerges

Nearby excavations


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12.000

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