Context: 

A joint study by the Indian Institute of Technology (Kharagpur) has discovered evidence of cultural continuity in Vadnagar indicating the likelihood of the concept of a “Dark Age” being a myth.

Vadnagar is the Oldest Living City of India: Joint Study

• Multi-institution Efforts: The study was led by scientists from IIT Kharagpur, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), and Deccan College.

Vadnagar Excavation: Key Highlights of the Study

• Evidence of Human Settlement: The evidence of a human settlement has been found that is as old as 800 BCE contemporary to late-Vedic/pre-Buddhist Mahajanapadas or oligarchic republics.
• Climate Change Behind Rise and Fall of Kingdoms: According to the study, the rise and fall of different kingdoms during the 3,000-year period and recurrent invasions of India by central Asian warriors were driven by severe change in climate like rainfall or droughts. 

• Diverse Landscape of Vadnagar: Vadnagar was a multicultural and multireligious (Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Islamic) settlement. Excavation revealed the presence of seven cultural stages (periods) i.e Mauryan, Indo-Greek, Indo-Scythian or Shaka-Kshatrapas, Hindu-Solankis, Sultanate-Mughal (Islamic) to Gaekwad-British colonial rule and the city endures even today. 
• Buddhist Monastery: One of the oldest Buddhist monasteries has been discovered during the excavation. 
• Discovery of  Archaeological Artefacts at Vadnagar: 
• • Characteristic archaeological artefacts, potteries, copper, gold, silver and iron objects and intricately designed bangles have been found. 
  • Coin moulds of the Greek king Appollodatus during the Indo-Greek rule at Vadnagar were found.
  • Archaeological records are rare, the earliest one being the rock-inscription of Emperor Ashoka during the Mauryan period (320-185 BCE) at Sudarsana Lake, Girnar hill, Gujarat. 
• Significance: 
  • This evidence makes Vadnagar the oldest living city within a single fortification unearthed so far in India.
  • Some of the recent unpublished radiocarbon dates suggest that the settlement could be as old as 1400 BCE contemporary to the late phase of the post-urban Harappan period. 
  • If this is true, then it suggests a cultural continuity in India for the last 5500 years and the so-called Dark Age may be a myth.

News Source:  The Hindu

DOWNLOAD PDF