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500 BC - 320 AD

During this time period, regionalized complexity gradually began to dimish and the re-emergence of large cities and civilizations begn to take place. One civilization in particular was the Mauryan Empire, ruled by a man named Asoka, who ruled for more than 150 years.

By looking at edicts displayed on stone pillars within the civilization in combination with early written texts such as the Arthasastra, archaeologists were able to reconstruct the social and cultural complexity of this civilization.

Cultural Evolution:
Some of the edicts written by Asoka show his attempt to create a pluralistic unity from the diverse regions in South Asia that were a part of his empire. Furthermore, these edicts also show the first examples of philosophical evidence in the early historic world. These included forsaking violence, showing reverence for animals, and shunning bureaucracy.

Source:
"South Asia: From Early Villages to Buddhism" The Human Past, edited by Chris Scarre, 546. 3rd ed. London: Thames and Hudson.

Department of Asian Art. “Mauryan Empire (ca. 323–185 B.C.).” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/maur/hd_maur.htm (October 2000)

Image Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillars_of_Ashoka

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1200-500 BC

Following the Era of Localization, the reintroduction of important cultural markers such as emergence of states and writing help us understand how the people of the Indus Civilization rediscovered lost cultural traditions and values.

Excavations of fortified settlements around Indus Cities have found evidence of standardized production of ceramics and the re-introduction of graffiti that utilized writing, as well as the first appearance of iron tools.

Cultural Evolution:
The most important thing to note here is that many of the settlements living during this time period were able to come up with many different cultural traditions and technologies. It was not really cultural progression, but rather a cultural re-discovery. The emergence of iron tools also marks the end of the use of stone tools.

Source:
"South Asia: From Early Villages to Buddhism" The Human Past, edited by Chris Scarre, 540-5416. 3rd ed. London: Thames and Hudson.

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1900 BC

Following the gradual collapse of the large Indus Valley cities and the loss of inegrated urban traits such as written script and monumental public buildings, the introduction into smaller, and fewer communities with more localized cultural traditions began to appear.

One site in particular, the Cemetery H site,  had burial mounds that appeared to lack the traditional Harappan extended burials and instead had red and black colored burial vessels that may have involved placing disarticulated remains pf the deceased inside them.

Cultural Evolution:
The evidence at Cemetery H in particular shows the fall of the Indus Civilizations, which is something that has happened to several developed civilizations in other countries as well. The cause of this fall has been attributed to several factors including invasion by other groups and the destablization of trade routes.

Source:
"South Asia: From Early Villages to Buddhism" The Human Past, edited by Chris Scarre, 536-537. 3rd ed. London: Thames and Hudson.

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2000 BC

Though previous excavations at the site showed large amounts of crop remains such as wheat and barley, there has been enough information to assume that trade may have also served as an important form of subsistence within some cities.

Materials such as lapis lazuli, carnelian, and chert have been found in the cities, linking possible trade routes from the sources of the materials outside of the cities.

Furthermore, a group of hunter-gatherers known as the Bagor were found to have finished products that may have been made by laborers in the cities. These leads to the possibility that the Bagor people may have traded semi-precious stones or other commodities to obtain important tools for their survival.

Cultural Evolution:
Trade is an extremely clear indicator of social growth and development, as it shows that the people are beginning to roam outside of their own boundaries, holding a symbiotic relationship with people not affiliated with the cities.

Source:
"South Asia: From Early Villages to Buddhism" The Human Past, edited by Chris Scarre, 536. 3rd ed. London: Thames and Hudson.

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2600-1900 BC

During this time period, the Indus Civilization was marked by several culturally significant traits including the development of cities, artifact standardization, four-tier hierarchy, and writing.

Excavations of Indus Civilization era sites such as Harappa show large urban settlements with walls that appeared to divide the tiers of the hierarchies. The lower town would be surrounded by the outer walls with large open area possibly used for farming and possibly social functions. On the other hand, the main castle would be two levels up ahead of the middle town and acropolis, with three layers of walls protecting it.

Cultural Evolution:
Cities such as Harappa indicate the first few large settlements of the Indus Civilization and explain why this time period was called the "Era of Integration". Instead of small clusters of communities, a majority of the people lived in these cities, with possible implications of large-scale cooperation.

Source:
"South Asia: From Early Villages to Buddhism" The Human Past, edited by Chris Scarre, 532-533. 3rd ed. London: Thames and Hudson.

Image Source:
http://deepaktravels.co.in/dholavira.asp

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3200-2600 BC

One of the first indicators of cultural convergence in the Indus Valley was the prominence of the Kot Dijian style of ceramics. Identified primarily by its globular, red-colored shape and intricate and geometric patterns, the Kot Dijian style of ceramices appeared at sites as far east as Kalibangan and as far west  to Rehman Dheri.

Cultural Evolution:
The spread of this type of ceramic style highlights the connections that many communitiese had together. Although spread far and wide, these communities all shared the same type of ceramic style during this period, indicating that cultural integration was present to an extent and that village-to-village contact was not uncommon during this time period.

Source:
"South Asia: From Early Villages to Buddhism" The Human Past, edited by Chris Scarre, 530. 3rd ed. London: Thames and Hudson.

Image Source:
http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2015/12/binjor-seal-with-indus-script.html?view=sidebar

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1700 BC

Hundreds of years after the initial establishment of Burzahom, the communities in the Swat Valley experienced a large growth in cultural innovation.

The bell-shaped pits found at a site known as Kalako-deray were found to be significantly more developed, now paved with stone. In some cases these pits held terracotta figures, jade beads, hammerstones, and other culturally significant artifacts.

The presence of some of these artifacts such as the jade beads suggest that the Neolithic communities in the Swat Valley were able to maintain contact with Central and East Asia communities.

Cultural Evolution:
The intricacy of what has been found in the pits of Swat Valley communities show the complexity of the societies, as they may have begun to use the pits for other things that just storage. Furthermore, special objects like the jade beads show that these communities may have begun to reach from beyond the boundaries of their own communities and contacting other villages.

Source:
"South Asia: From Early Villages to Buddhism" The Human Past, edited by Chris Scarre, 526. 3rd ed. London: Thames and Hudson.

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3000 BC

The communities living in the Swat Valley during the 3rd millenium BC left a wide range of artifacts that help characterize its cultural growth. Burzahom,  one of the clusters of communities in this area, are characterized by new technology such as ground-stone axes and rectangular stone sickles.

Furthermore, Burzahom also contained several bell-shaped pits. These pits reached depths of up to 13 feet and often had ceramic and animal remains.

Cultural Evolution:
The artifacts left by this community give some insight into the innovation in stone tool technology, as well as the first development of these unique deep pits in the Swat Valley.

Source:
"South Asia: From Early Villages to Buddhism" The Human Past, edited by Chris Scarre, 526. 3rd ed. London: Thames and Hudson.

Image Source:
http://www.kashmirnetwork.com/today/burzahom.html

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Farming Communities During Period IB and II

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Farming Communities During Period IB and II

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5500 BC

The second period of settlement in Mehrgarh was marked by the appearance of ceramics and pottery. As the abundance of wild plants and animals declined, the Mehrgarh people began to focus more on livestock subsistence.

As this trend continued, the size of the cattle also decreased, showing signs of the domestication of Zebu.

Cultural Evolution:
The period following Period IA was marked by a significantly more use of domesticated animals and crops, as wild food sources were on the decline. This period also shows the first signs of ceramic technology, as in the previous period baskets lined with bitumen were used instead.a

Source:
"South Asia: From Early Villages to Buddhism" The Human Past, edited by Chris Scarre, 524-525. 3rd ed. London: Thames and Hudson.

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Early Farming Communities during Period IA

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Early Farming Communities during Period IA

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6500 BC

One of the greatest examples of the first farming settlements in South Asia is the village known as Mehrgrah.

Several varieties of crops were grown here including maize, barley and dates. The people of Mehrgarh also domesticated a number of animals, most notably the Zebu.

Aside from their farming practices, the Mehrgarh people made in small square structures made of mud. Some of these compartments measured smaller than 1 square meter, so it is considered these were used for storage rather than living.

Cultural Evolution:
The community of Mehrgarh exhibited the some of the first signs of mass storage and permanent villages in South Asia.

Source:
"South Asia: From Early Villages to Buddhism" The Human Past, edited by Chris Scarre, 524. 3rd ed. London: Thames and Hudson.

Image Source:
http://www.thehistoryhub.com/mehrgarh-facts-pictures.htm