A chance discovery in June 2004 of human skeletal remains in Sanauli led to the finding of a vast Late Harappan cemetery just north of Delhi, India. Dating to between 1900 and 1600 b.c.e., this was a time when local Late Harappan communities were developing new settlement patterns and trade networks. Excavations in 2005 and 2006 by Archaeological Survey of India uncovered the remains of numerous extended burials and ritual offerings, many of which were overlapping, and partly destroying earlier burials. This evidence shows that the cemetery was used over a long period of time and that there were some changes in the types of pottery and other objects buried with the dead.
What and Who
Several categories or types of burials have been identified at Sanauli. Among them are 16 primary burials that have full skeletons, 46 primary burials that have been disturbed, and 22 burials accompanied by pottery remains. Other finds include features that cannot be identified definitely as burials. The orientation of the burials is generally from northwest to southeast, with the head to the north. There are, however, some variations in the precise angle of the burial. (See chart at right.)
Analysis of 42 skeletal remains determined that 10 were males (with identification of two of these still doubtful); eight were females, and six were non-adults (children or youth). Interestingly, the average height for males was 66 inches; for females, 68 inches.
How They Did It
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