Latest news with #ArthurBeavorWynne
Indian Express
13-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Mains answer practice — GS 1 : Questions on significance of stromatolite formations and Kutch as a multi‑phased archaeological region (Week 106)
UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative for the practice of Mains answer writing. It covers essential topics of static and dynamic parts of the UPSC Civil Services syllabus covered under various GS papers. This answer-writing practice is designed to help you as a value addition to your UPSC CSE Mains. Attempt today's answer writing on questions related to topics of GS-1 to check your progress. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for May 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at Discuss the importance of Kutch as a multi‑phased archaeological region spanning hunter‑gatherer, pre‑Harappan, and mature Harappan phases. Discuss the significance of stromatolite formations for understanding the tectonic evolution of the Himalayas and the Tethys Sea. Introduction — The introduction of the answer is essential and should be restricted to 3-5 lines. Remember, a one-liner is not a standard introduction. — It may consist of basic information by giving some definitions from the trusted source and authentic facts. Body — It is the central part of the answer and one should understand the demand of the question to provide rich content. — The answer must be preferably written as a mix of points and short paragraphs rather than using long paragraphs or just points. — Using facts from authentic government sources makes your answer more comprehensive. Analysis is important based on the demand of the question, but do not over analyse. — Underlining keywords gives you an edge over other candidates and enhances presentation of the answer. — Using flowcharts/tree-diagram in the answers saves much time and boosts your score. However, it should be used logically and only where it is required. Way forward/ conclusion — The ending of the answer should be on a positive note and it should have a forward-looking approach. However, if you feel that an important problem must be highlighted, you may add it in your conclusion. Try not to repeat any point from body or introduction. — You may use the findings of reports or surveys conducted at national and international levels, quotes etc. in your answers. Self Evaluation — It is the most important part of our Mains answer writing practice. UPSC Essentials will provide some guiding points or ideas as a thought process that will help you to evaluate your answers. QUESTION 1: Discuss the importance of Kutch as a multi‑phased archaeological region spanning hunter‑gatherer, pre‑Harappan, and mature Harappan phases. Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers. Introduction: — Researchers have discovered human remains in the Great Rann of Kutch dating back at least 5,000 years before the Harappans. The finding is based on dating and analysing shell remains discovered in the late nineteenth century. — In 1872, Anglo-Irish geologist Arthur Beavor Wynne described 'a patch of large broken univalve shells' discovered 'all over the northern side of Kutch' in his memoirs for the Geological Survey of India (GSI). Body: You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer: — A study reveals linkages between the Kutch midden site – archaeological sites where huge numbers of marine shells, bones, tools, and ceramics are generally found – and those in Oman and Pakistan along the coast of the northern Arabian Sea, where these pre-Harappan civilisations most likely resided. — A fresh group of archaeological remains was discovered about a km from the Harappan site of Dholavira near Bambhanka, the southernmost village on Khadir Beyt (island), on the road that connects the island to the Kutch mainland. — Khadir was one of six islands in this region where sea levels were higher until around 5,000-6,000 years ago, according to V N Prabhakar, an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar's Department of Earth Sciences, Humanities, and Social Sciences. — 'The surface had broken potsherds, shell remains, and flakes of carnelian and agate, while on the surface were remnants of walls built with random rubble masonry,' Dr. Rai tells The Indian Express. A trench built for a pipeline on the hillock's western edge revealed a 30-40-cm-thick accumulation of shell remains. — The majority of the shell remains have been broken in the centre, most likely to extract meat. Similar findings from Pakistan's Las Bela region date back to the seventh and fifth millennia BCE, implying that hunter-gatherer tribes relied on shell remains for food and engaged in long-distance commerce within inland locales. Conclusion: — The study reveals the presence of coastal hunter-gatherer societies in the Great Rann of Kutch region that have adapted to the mangrove habitat, which is home to the shell species documented thus far, such as Terebralia palustris or the gigantic mangrove whelk. — Most sites are on river banks, about 2-2.5 km from the ocean, although some are farther inside, implying that the occupants hauled the sea shells inside. We were unable to reach the northern coast, which is a forested area, but there may be additional deposits. — The few remaining mangroves are discovered in the Little Rann of Kutch, southeast of Dholavira, near Lakhpat on the west coast, and at an inland area known as Shravan Kavadiya, northeast of Bhuj, which may have been the ancient shoreline. (Source: Stories in Kutch shells: Hunter-gatherers who lived in Gujarat 5,000 years before the Harappans and their cities) Points to Ponder Read about Dholavira Other Indus Valley civilisations sites in Gujarat Related Previous Year Questions The ancient civilization in Indian sub-continent differed from those of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece in that its culture and traditions have been preserved without a breakdown to the present day. Comment. (2015) To what extent has the urban planning and culture of the Indus Valley Civilization provided inputs to the present day urbanization? Discuss. (2014) QUESTION 2: Discuss the significance of stromatolite formations for understanding the tectonic evolution of the Himalayas and the Tethys Sea. Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers. Introduction: — Stromatolites are the earliest known fossil records of life on Earth. These structures are formed by complicated interactions between microbial mat populations and their geochemical surroundings. — Stromatolites, which are reef-like structures formed by ancient cyanobacteria in shallow oceans, provide evidence of this evolution. These mineralised mounds, which may be found all over India, from the Vindhyas and Cuddapah Basin to the limestone ridges of the Himalayas, record a time when oxygen did not exist and continents had not collided. Body: You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer: — These ancient structures provide a glimpse into a time when the Earth's atmosphere was dominated by greenhouse gases and oxygen was nonexistent. Their location in the Himalayas, far from any contemporary coastline, tells a story about tectonic upheavals, lost oceans, and the microbiological origins of life. — Ancient microbial mats, primarily made up of blue-green algae or cyanobacteria, caught and bonded silt over time, resulting in layered, reef-like mounds. — Stromatolites are bio sedimentary structures formed in shallow maritime environments by blue-green algae. — As oxygen began to accumulate in the atmosphere, due to these early cyanobacteria, the Earth changed from anaerobic to aerobic conditions, clearing the way for multicellular life. Around 3.5 billion years ago, the only species to survive were single-celled bacteria that produced oxygen. When stromatolites, generated by cyanobacteria or blue-green algae, began creating oxygen, the Earth's atmosphere changed, allowing multicellular life to emerge. This extraordinary voyage, documented in our geoheritage, resulted in the emergence of trilobites, dinosaurs, and, finally, modern humans. — The Great Oxidation Event or Oxygen Catastrophe refers to the increase in oxygen levels in the atmosphere and oceans that occurred roughly 2.4 billion years ago. — Chambaghat's stromatolites are part of the Krol Group of sedimentary rocks, which include limestone, shale, and sandstone and were created in a shallow marine environment similar to the Tethys Sea. 'These stromatolite-bearing formations were laid down in a shallow marine sea called the Tethys Sea, before India collided with Tibet and the sea was squeezed out,' according to Dr. Ahluwalia. — This area was formerly part of Gondwana, a southern supercontinent that comprised India, South America, Africa, and others. The Indian plate's northward migration and collision with Eurasia raised marine deposits, including stromatolites, thousands of meters into the sky. These are shallow marine deposits found between 5,000 and 6,000 feet above sea level. Conclusion: — A massive outcrop of these stromatolites, dating back 600 million years, was recently discovered in the pine-clad mountains of Chambaghat in Solan district, prompting renewed calls for preservation and public engagement with India's geological legacy. — The oldest stromatolites, dating back 3.6 billion years, are found in Australia. — Other stromatolitic locations in India include Karnataka's Bhima Basin, the Aravalli Supergroup, and Madhya Pradesh's Kadapa Mountains. The older stromatolites can be found in the Shali-deoban area of the Himalaya. Younger stromatolites have a smooth arc and are laminated and hemispheric, whereas older ones are branching and columnar. (Source: 600-million-year-old stromatolites in the Himalayas tell the story of an ocean lost and Earth's first breath) Points to Ponder Read more about stromatolites Related Previous Year Questions How are the fjords formed? Why do they constitute some of the most picturesque areas of the world? (2023) Describe the characteristics and types of primary rocks. (2022) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 106) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 105) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 106) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 105) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 104) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 105) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.
Indian Express
08-06-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
Stories in Kutch shells: Hunter-gatherers who lived in Gujarat 5,000 years before the Harappans and their cities
Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) who worked with experts from IIT Kanpur (IITK), Inter University Accelerator Centre (IUAC) Delhi, and Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) Ahmedabad, have reported the presence of humans in the Great Rann of Kutch at least 5,000 years before the Harappans. The conclusion is based on the dating and analysis of remains of shells that were first discovered in the late 19th century. The Anglo-Irish geologist Arthur Beavor Wynne wrote in the Geological Survey of India (GSI) memoirs in 1872 about 'a patch of large broken univalve shells' found 'all over the northern side of Kutch'. The IITGN study suggests links between the Kutch midden site – archaeological sites where large quantities of marine shells, along with bones, tools, and pottery are typically found – and those in Oman and Pakistan along the coast of the northern Arabian Sea where these pre-Harappan communities likely lived. Preliminary results were published in 2023 in Man and Environment, the biannual journal of the Indian Society for Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies ('Evidence for the presence of prehistoric hunter-gatherer communities on Khadir island, Great Rann of Kutch, Gujarat'). A new set of archaeological remains was discovered about a kilometre from the Harappan site of Dholavira near Bambhanka, the southernmost village on Khadir Beyt (island), on the route connecting the island to the Kutch mainland. Khadir was one of the six islands in this region, where sea levels were higher until about 5,000-6,000 years ago, V N Prabhakar, associate professor at the Department of Earth Sciences and Humanities and Social Sciences at IITGN, said. During a visit to the site in 2016, study co-author Shikha Rai and Vikrant Jain, professor at IITGN's Department of Earth Sciences, discovered the 'remains of house complexes' on a hillock 2.5 km to the northwest of Bambhanka. 'The surface had broken potsherds, shell remains, and flakes of carnelian and agate, while on the surface were remnants of walls built with random rubble masonry,' Dr Rai told The Indian Express. On the western edge of this hillock, a trench dug to lay a pipeline exposed a 30-40-cm-thick deposit of shell remains. 'Most of the shell remains display breakage on the central part, presumably to extract meat from them. Similar findings from the Las Bela region of Pakistan are placed between the seventh and fifth millennium BCE, which suggests the possibility of hunter-gatherer communities depending on shell remains as a food source and participating in long distance trade within inland sites,' Dr Rai said. More similar sites were subsequently discovered in and around Khadir. Clues in the mangroves The study indicates the presence of coastal hunter-gatherer communities in the Great Rann of Kutch region who adapted to the mangrove environment to which the shell species identified so far – such as Terebralia palustris, or the giant mangrove whelk – belong. 'Most sites are on river banks, some 2-2.5 km from the coast, while some are deeper inside, which suggests the inhabitants carried the sea shells inland. We could not reach the northern coast, which is a forest area, but there may be more deposits there,' Prof Prabhakar said. Currently, the only remnants of mangroves are found in the Little Rann of Kutch to the southeast of Dholavira, near Lakhpat on the coast to the west, and at an inland location known as Shravan Kavadiya to the northeast of Bhuj, which may have been the ancient shoreline. 'These humans were collecting food wherever it was available in their mangrove environment. They broke the shells and extracted the meat, which they may have even cooked – because some shells are black or grey in colour, suggesting they were heated. The shells may have been discarded at the same place for perhaps 300-400 years,' Prof Prabhakar said. These communities of humans were hunter-gatherers, not farmers, he said. 'Apart from shells, they could have consumed plants, fruits, tubers, or nuts. But there isn't enough evidence yet… Maybe if we excavate one site, we can study the soil samples and try to understand the flora of that time.' Stone tools and trade The presence of flakes at several sites like Laungwali, Kunduwari, Ganeshpar, and Janan on Khadir island suggest the use of tools by these people. 'After the discovery at Bambhanka, local people led us to the site of Lungwali, about 1 km from Dholavira, where similar remains along with stone tools were discovered. A good number of chert, jasper, and chalcedony cores were found,' Prof Prabhakar said. According to Prof Prabhakar, these hunter-gatherer communities would have used tools made of basalt, limestone, and quartzite to hunt. Some smaller stones that have been found could have served as tips of arrows. 'They may have occupied a site maybe for one season, and moved on to another location, and then to another. Had there been permanent occupation, we could have found other remains as well,' he said. Barring agate, which was available near Amarapar village in Kutch, the other stones are not available locally, which suggests the possibility of trade, according to investigators. The finding from Kutch tallies with evidence from the Karachi coast, Prof Prabhakar said. 'We think that the Oman evidence is also coinciding. There was a wider area, and people definitely could have communicated with each other. Maybe in the future, if we have more evidence we can establish this,' he said. Before the Harappan people Fifteen samples from Khadir island have been carbon dated so far. The first three samples – all from Bambhanka – were dated at PRL Ahmedabad, and the remaining 12 at IUAC Delhi. Ravi Bhushan, a former professor at PRL who is now a consultant at the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa, said: 'Radiocarbon dating, which is one of the most powerful tools scientists use to determine the age of ancient artifacts, fossils, and archaeological sites, was used. However, there is a time lag of 400-500 years as these shells feed on dead carbonates… this means they could be a little older.' Carbon dating pegs the antiquity of the Dholavira site at 3,300 BC to 1,400 BCE. The Harappan period is generally considered to extend from 2,600 to 1,900 BCE. 'Both before and after the Harappans, there were people living in smaller settlements in this area. But these remains are 5,500-5000 years before the time of the Harappans,' Dr Rai said. Ten more samples from four sites on Khadir, Bela, and the Kutch mainland will be dated at IUAC Delhi soon. Thereafter, more studies will be carried out with the collaboration of IIT Kanpur.
