Abstract
For the first time in the Indian subcontinent, a series of royal burials with chariots have been recovered from the Chalcolithic period at the archaeological site Sinauli (29°8′28″N; 77°13′1″E), Baghpat district, western Uttar Pradesh, India. Eight burials were excavated from the site; among them a royal burial with copper decorated legged coffin (lid with a series of anthropomorphic figures) and headgear has also been recovered. Among these remarkable discoveries, three full-sized chariots made of wood and copper, and a sword with a wooden hilt, made this site unique at historical ground. These cultural findings signify that the ancients from this place were involved in warfare. All these recovered exclusive antiquities also proved the sophistication and the high degree of craftsmanship of the artisans. According to the 14C radiocarbon dating and recovered material culture, the site date back to 4000 yr BP (∼2000 BCE) and is thought to belong to Ochre-Coloured Pottery (OCP)/Copper Hoard culture. This culture was believed to develop in the Ganga-Yamuna Doab and was contemporary to the late phase of the Indus civilization. Altogether, the findings indicate that the time period of this culture is plausibly contemporary to Late Indus, Mesopotamian and Greece civilizations.
Conclusion
Sinauli is the first archaeological site in the Indian subcontinent which provides evidence of chariots, royal burials with the warfare elements during OCP/ Copper Hoard culture in Ganga-Yamuna doab. The set of 14C dates presented in this study authenticates the chronology of the site which date back to ∼4000 yr BP (∼2000 BC) and identified OCP occupation in northern India. The recovered material culture at the site indicate that the Sinaulians were involved in warfare activities. The recovered antiquities indicates their high degree of sophistication in wood and copper craftsmanship. Besides establishing chronology, the present study proposes the idea of utilising scientific analytical methods to address key questions arising from the burial sites such as exploitation of raw materials for rituals practices, subsistence, material culture, ancestry etc. This study provides a platform for the researchers to evaluate evidence of royal burials, the use of chariots and other warfare elements in relation to contemporary civilizations in other part of the world.