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Royal burials and chariots from Sinauli (Uttar Pradesh, India): Radiocarbon dating and isotopic analysis based inferences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 September 2024

Shalini Sharma Open the ORCID record for Shalini Sharma [Opens in a new window] ,
Anil K Pokharia Open the ORCID record for Anil K Pokharia [Opens in a new window] ,
S K S Gahlaud ,
Nikhil Patel ,
S K Manjul ,
Ruchita Yadav  and
Rajesh Agnihotri Open the ORCID record for Rajesh Agnihotri [Opens in a new window]
Shalini Sharma*
Affiliation:
Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, P.R. China Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53 University Road, Lucknow-226007, Uttar Pradesh, India
Anil K Pokharia
Affiliation:
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53 University Road, Lucknow-226007, Uttar Pradesh, India
S K S Gahlaud
Affiliation:
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53 University Road, Lucknow-226007, Uttar Pradesh, India
Nikhil Patel
Affiliation:
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53 University Road, Lucknow-226007, Uttar Pradesh, India
S K Manjul
Affiliation:
Archaeological Survey of India, 24 Tilak Marg, New Delhi-110001, Delhi, India
Ruchita Yadav
Affiliation:
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53 University Road, Lucknow-226007, Uttar Pradesh, India Department of Botany, D.G.P.G. College (Affiliated to CSJMU), Kanpur-200801, India
Rajesh Agnihotri
Affiliation:
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53 University Road, Lucknow-226007, Uttar Pradesh, India
*
Corresponding author: Shalini Sharma; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

For the first time in the Indian subcontinent, a series of royal burials with chariots have been recovered from the Chalcolithic period at the archaeological site Sinauli (29°8′28″N; 77°13′1″E), Baghpat district, western Uttar Pradesh, India. Eight burials were excavated from the site; among them a royal burial with copper decorated legged coffin (lid with a series of anthropomorphic figures) and headgear has also been recovered. Among these remarkable discoveries, three full-sized chariots made of wood and copper, and a sword with a wooden hilt, made this site unique at historical ground. These cultural findings signify that the ancients from this place were involved in warfare. All these recovered exclusive antiquities also proved the sophistication and the high degree of craftsmanship of the artisans. According to the 14C radiocarbon dating and recovered material culture, the site date back to 4000 yr BP (∼2000 BCE) and is thought to belong to Ochre-Coloured Pottery (OCP)/Copper Hoard culture. This culture was believed to develop in the Ganga-Yamuna Doab and was contemporary to the late phase of the Indus civilization. Altogether, the findings indicate that the time period of this culture is plausibly contemporary to Late Indus, Mesopotamian and Greece civilizations.

Keywords

chariotschronologyGanga-Yamuna DoabIndian subcontinentOchre-Coloured Pottery Cultureroyal burials
Type
Research Article
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 66 , Issue 4 , August 2024 , pp. 774 - 782
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of University of Arizona

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