Mehrgarh Archaeological Site

Mehrgarh

Pakistan · Balochistan, Kachi

SettlementUnknown
Approximate periodNeolithic and Chalcolithic See on the map ↓

In brief

The mounds near the Bolan Pass are one of the key sites for studying the development of farming and village life in South Asia. Excavations have uncovered mudbrick buildings and cemeteries; older chronologies and new measurements differ on the dating of the early phases.

What was found?

  • 1Compartmented mudbrick structures

    Groups of structures made from hand-shaped mudbricks and divided into small compartments. Their functions are uncertain; according to researchers, a substantial proportion may have been used for storage.

  • 2Neolithic graves

    Human remains were documented in the excavated cemeteries. New radiocarbon measurements on tooth enamel enabled a reassessment of the site's early chronology.

  • 3Remains relating to barley and cattle domestication

    Plant and animal remains provide evidence concerning the processes of barley cultivation and cattle domestication. They are fundamental to understanding the settlement's economy based on food production.

What does it point to?

Mehrgarh allows the development of early food production, storage and crafts to be traced together. Its starting date is being reassessed: according to a 2025 study, the aceramic Neolithic cemetery examined may have begun to be used between 5200–4900 BCE.

What did it teach us?

  1. It documented the development of food production and craft specialisation before the Indus cities.
  2. It showed that successive mudbrick structures built on top of one another formed a settlement mound over time.
  3. According to researchers, dates obtained from human tooth enamel showed that the early cemetery began later than previous chronologies had indicated.

Images

Mehrgarh Archaeological Site
Mhtoori · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Latest news / selected archive

Human tooth enamel dating published in 2025 reassessed the previous chronology by placing the beginning of the Aceramic Neolithic cemetery in the range of 5200–4900 BCE.

Record

Culture
Mehrgarh culture
First modern dig
1974
Team / historical
Pakistan Fransız Arkeoloji Misyonu
Coordinates
29.2125°, 67.6708°

Sources

  1. whc.unesco.org
  2. doam.gov.pk
  3. nature.com

Nearby excavations


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12.000

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