Mortimer Wheeler's 1953 interpretation linking Judeir-jo-daro skeletons to an Aryan massacre has been dismantled. Dales (1964) showed bodies came from separate deposits, and a 1984 re-examination found only 1 of 42 had a possibly fatal injury. There's no citywide destruction layer, weapons concentration, or defenders' remains—Harappan decline after 1900 BCE was gradual.
Judeir-jo-daro skeletons show no evidence of Aryan massacre; Harappan decline was gradual
PakistanGeneral
Key facts
- Judeir-jo-daro lies beside the Indus River in present-day Pakistan and was one of the largest cities of the Harappan civilization
- Mortimer Wheeler (1953) found skeletons and connected them with the Rigveda's god Indra, 'destroyer of forts'
- George Dales (1964) showed the bodies came from different parts of the lower town and different deposits, not a single scene
- In room 74, 4 of 14 bodies lay partly over the ruins of a wall and must have been deposited after the wall had already fallen
- A 2020 bioarchaeological review noted the principal groups had not been directly radiocarbon dated
- A 1984 re-examination by Kenneth Kennedy found only 1 of 42 cataloged individuals had an injury that might have caused death
- Wheeler later admitted his proposed connection between the bodies and Aryan invaders was conjecture, not proof
- Archaeologists found no citywide destruction layer, no extensive burning, no concentration of weapons, and no remains of attackers and defenders around the fortifications
- The urban Harappan civilization changed gradually after about 1900 BCE due to changing rivers, weakening monsoons, disrupted trade, and local social changes
Site mentioned
Sources
Indus Valley Civilisationen.wikipedia.org
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Harappa & Mohenjo-Daro | Overview, Location & Civilizationstudy.com
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