The Archaeological Survey of India excavated accidentally unearthing ancient artifacts in the hamlet of Sanauli in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The results suggest the tribe may have been a warrior clan. It also inspired Discovery Plus to produce the 55-minute program “Secrets of Sanauli.”
Baghpat district was going about his business and cultivating his land. He had no idea that what would normally be part of his daily practice would result in the unintentional discovery of bones and copper pots and, eventually, raise issues regarding prehistoric world history.
A team from the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) immediately came to the spot to start excavating deeply into Sharma’s three bighas (0.40052356 acres) of land after he informed the local media of his finding. The initial excavations took place over 13 months, and items tentatively dating to 2000 BCE were discovered, including chariots, coffins, pots, bones, and maybe the earliest copper helmet ever made.
It’s interesting to note that the majority of wooden artifacts were covered in copper wires, inlays, and sheaths, which kept them from rotting for almost 4,000 years.
The finding of three chariots, which casts doubt on the Aryan Invasion idea, has been the excavation’s most stunning feature. The shape and size of the chariots suggest that they were horse-drawn and predated Mesopotamian and Sumerian civilizations. The horses were introduced from Central Asia by the advancing Aryan army circa 1500 BC, according to historians. Additionally, the Harappan civilization used bull-drawn chariots.
After then, the ASI conducted two further rounds of painstaking excavation (in 2018 and 2019), yielding several fascinating hypotheses and findings regarding the Sanauli burial site.
Sinauli has undoubtedly drawn everyone’s attention since these findings might be a significant part of the history of this century. The 55-minute documentary “Secrets of Sanauli – Discovery of the Century,” directed by Neeraj Pandey and hosted by Manoj Bajpayee, was just made available on Discovery Plus. It challenges the western dominant narratives and follows the archaeological discoveries. Several specialists, notably Dr. VN Prabhakar from IIT Gandhinagar and Dr. BR Mani from the National Museum, have simplified the ideas, history, and language.
Sinauli and the Harappan civilization coexisted?
Numerous ancient artifacts, including chariots, a torch, an antenna sword, elaborately adorned coffins, and helmets, were unearthed by the archaeologists. The remarkably well-preserved skeletons resemble those discovered during the late Harappan era. But the Orche-Colored Pottery (OCP) and copper-coated artifacts are sufficient evidence to rule out Sanauli’s inclusion in the late Harappan era. Therefore, it is possible that Sanauli was a Chalcolithic society that coexisted with Harappa.
The researcher notes that the 2005 excavations “allowed us to uncover pottery of various sizes, in addition to beads and other things that were comparable to those used in the Harappan culture.”
Additionally unique are the bricks that were found on the in-situ site; “Excavators were unable to understand the construction or discern the alignment of the Harappan bricks, which are smaller than Sanauli. As a result, many questions are still unresolved, claims Disha.
She clarifies, “After several exhausting days of work, we saw one brick in the structure absolutely horizontal and others that were falling.
This led us to identify the bricks, and we discovered a new element. This one brick created the appearance that it was supported by another brick or some other kind of structure. I decided to cut the portion, and we discovered the fourth side of the wall had fallen.
Its monarchy and combat
The ASI team discovered further artifacts during the 2018 excavation that provided additional context for the Sinauli civilization, including evidence of warfare and a royal borough.
Eight burials make up the new evidence, which screams a privileged class. A few examples of these are vases, bowls, an armlet made of agate beads, a copper mirror, and a decorated horn comb with a peacock theme. A painted lid of one royal coffin had eight anthropomorphic figures, with headdresses and pipal leaves. Another item was a copper suit of armor in the form of a torso. Additionally, pottery pots were discovered next to the coffins, raising the idea that rituals were carried out before the burial.
The group may have had warriors who employed highly developed weapons, according to the tombs. For instance, the antenna sword was put next to both the male and female skeletons in an upright posture (yes, women also may have fought wars as per Dr. Manjul). The swords’ medial ridge and copper-covered hilts make them durable enough for use in battle.
Dr. Manjul said that the ASI team had examined the unexpected discoveries using cutting-edge and scientific methods like X-ray, handheld XRF, 3D scanning, CT scan, and drone and magnetometer surveys. Dr. Manjul and Disha reaffirm that more research will be done in the future to identify certain historical events and their importance.
