Excavation at Surkotada and Exploration in Kutch

Published in 1990 as a centenary volume in memory of Sir Mortimer Wheeler, this nearly 400 page illustrated volume is the principal investigator's report on the excavations in 1971-72. These led to the first incontrovertible but limited discovery of horse bones. "The most controversial and sought after animal in Indian archaeology has been the horse," writes the author. "At Surkotada from all three periods [roughly 2100-1700 BCE] quite a good number of bones of horse (Equus Caballus) and ass (Equus asinus) have been recovered" (p. 381).

Horse remains are about 1% of all animal remains, with cattle at 40% comprising by far the most, and sheep and goats the second-most, about half that much; rodents at 6% seem to be the next largest category, with deer (2.4%) and dog (4%) and pig (3%) also found.

There are a large number of plates, mostly black and white. In early 2017, the volume was not available on Amazon India.

Publisher: The Director General Archaeological Survey of India (1990)

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