Environment

Articles concerned with regional climate, geology, rivers, land formations, environmental conditions and the effects the environment itself had on the ancient Indus Valley Civilization.

The Prehistory of Sindh and Las Bela (Balochistan): Thirty years of surveys and excavations (1985-2014)

It has really only been since the 1980s that a more comprehensive picture of the wide and deep roots of Indus civilization in the larger Sindh and Balochistan region have become apparent. Mehrgarh did not spring out of nowhere but was embedded in a region where fishing, shell collecting, flint mining and other crafts were present and flourishing at different times.

Forgotten Islands of the Past: The Archaeology of the Northern Coast of the Arabian Sea

The author, who has been working in the larger region for decades exploring the long history of human habitation and industry going back tens of thousands of years, turns his attention to the geographic changes in the Indus delta region through the Bronze Age and what recent work shows us were the curious "islands" that once existed in lower Sindh (Dholavira, in Gujarat, is another example of such a later settlement).

Recurring summer and winter droughts from 4.2-3.97 thousand years ago in north India

This highly technical and scientific paper brings together all the recent evidence from Dharamjali Cave in the Himalayas over a 230 year period around 2000 BCE, when the ancient Indus civilization was in decline, to show "that repeated intensely dry periods spanned multiple generations. The record highlights the deficits in winter and summer rainfall during the urban phase of the Indus Civilization, which prompted adaptation through flexible, self- reliant, and drought-resistant agricultural strategies."

Sabarmati and its connection with the Harappan port Lothal and the Nal corridor: A study using multi-sensor data, cloud-computing and multi-platforms

Was the ‘dockyard’ at Lothal a ‘dockyard’ or not? An in-depth look at this question in a true multi-dimensional manner is long overdue. This study seeks to revisit the dockyard hypothesis by examining Lothal from a landscape perspective, using advanced techniques such as multi-sensor remote sensing, cloud computing, and digital elevation models.

Pedology and Late Quaternary Environments Surrounding Harappa: A Review and Synthesis

Map of flood zones in Pakistan
A review and explanation of the regional climate, geology, and environment which historically influenced the life and culture of the Harappan peoples. "A review and synthesis of pertinent pedological, geological, and paleoenvironmental studies in the vicinity of Harappa (District Sahiwal, Punjab,

Adaptation to Variable Environments, Resilience to Climate Change

An important contribution synthesizing many fields of research. The authors write: "This paper will explore the nature and dynamics of adaptation and resilience in the face of a diverse and varied environmental and ecological context using the case study of South Asia’s Indus Civilization (ca. 3000–1300 BC), and although it will consider the Indus region as a whole, it will focus primarily on the plains of northwest India."