Recent Excavations at Kanmer: A new look at the Harappan Settlements in Kutch, India
As a part of an interdisciplinary project entitled as ‘Environmental Change and the Indus
Civilization’ by Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN), Kyoto, Japan, a series of
excavations by a joint team of the Institute of Rajasthan Studies, JRN Rajasthan Vidyapeeth,
Udaipur, the Gujarat State Department of Archaeology and RIHN has been conducted at a site of Kanmer which faces the Little Rann of Kachchh. This site has an almost square plan and cultural deposits in height from the surrounding area to the highest point of the mound. The excavations has revealed five-fold cultural sequences starting from pre-/Early Harappan period through Harappan and Late Harappan periods to the Early Historic and Medial periods. The Harappan and Late Harappan settlements are enclosed by massive perimeter walls, inside which stone structures of each period has been uncovered. The cultural sequence of this site is significant in revealing the relations between the Harappan culture and the local cultural traditions in this region. In this presentation, the preliminary observations of the results of the excavation will be presented.
Dr. Akinori Uesugi is a Researcher for the RIHN in Kyoto, Japan. He received his PhD from
Kansai University, Osaka, Japan in 2003 for his dissertation “Archaeology of Urbanization in
North India.” Dr. Uesugi has conducted many research excavations including: Sravasti (Maheth) in Uttar Pradesh, Jomon site in Japan, and Buddhist cave temples in Maharashtra. Several publications on his excavations have been published as well. He is currently working on the Indus Project, which he began work on in 2007.