Kanmer

Kanmer
Archeological site
Kanmer
Coordinates: 23°25′4.44″N70°51′48.24″E / 23.4179000°N 70.8634000°E / 23.4179000; 70.8634000
Country	India
Province	Gujarat
Time zone	UTC+5.30 (Indian Standard Time)

Kanmer, locally known as Bakar Kot, is an archaeological site belonging to Indus Valley civilization, located in Rapar Taluk, Kutch District, Gujarat, India. ^{[1] [2]}

Excavation

An Indo-Japanese joint excavation at Kanmer was undertaken in 2006 by the Institute of Rajasthan Studies, RIHN, JRN Rajasthan Vidyapeeth, Archeology Department, Gujarat and Japanese team^{[ clarification needed ]}. ^[3]

Architecture

The site was strongly fortified despite being small, perhaps because it may have been located on a trade route between Sindh and Saurashtra. ^[3]

Findings

A rich ceramic assemblage, representing the Mature Harappan culture, was found at this site. ^[3] Three clay seals were found, each featuring Indus scripts, as well as central holes allowing them to function as pendants. ^[4] A large number of bead-making goods — 150 stone beads and roughouts, 160 drill bits, 433 faience beads and 20,000 steatite beads — were found here, indicating the site's importance as an industrial unit. Agate quarries were also located at a distance of 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the site. ^[5]

Importance

The figures appearing on clay seals and their similarity with those of Mohenjo-daro indicate Kanmer's association with bigger trade centres like Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. ^[5]

References

1. Pokharia, Anil K.; Kharakwal, Jeewan Singh; Rawat, R. S.; Osada, Toshiki; Nautiyal, C. M.; Srivastava, Alka (25 June 2011). "Archaeobotany and archaeology at Kanmer, a Harappan site in Kachchh, Gujarat: evidence for adaptation in response to climatic variability" (PDF). Current Science, Vol. 100, No. 12. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
2. "Archaeobotany and archaeology at Kanmer, a Harappan site in Kachchh, Gujarat: Evidence for adaptation in response to climatic variability (PDF Download Available)". ResearchGate. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
3. Osada, Toshiki, ed. (2006). Indus civilization : Text and Context (Revised and enlarged ed.). New Delhi: Manohar Publisher. pp. 9–11. ISBN   9788173046827 . Retrieved 11 July 2012.
4. "Ancient Indus Passports?". www.harappa.com. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
5. Agrawal, D. P.; Kharakwal, J. S.; Rawat, Y. S.; Osada, T.; Goyal, Pankaj. "Redefining the Harappan Hinterland". Antiquity.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 July 2012.

Further reading

KHARAKWAL, J.S., Y.S. RAWAT & T. OSADA.(2008) Preliminary observations on the excavation at Kanmer, Kachchh, India, in T. Osada & A. Uesugi (ed.) Linguistics, Archaeology and the Human past (Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Occasional Paper 5): 5-24. Kyoto: Research Institute for Humanity and Nature.