Gilund
Topic: Prehistory: Human Origins and Stone Age Cultures · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Gilund is a Chalcolithic site of the Ahar-Banas culture on the Banas river in Rajsamand district, Rajasthan. Chalcolithic means people used copper along with stone tools. Diggers found mud-brick buildings, painted pottery, including black and red ware, and many clay seal impressions. The seal impressions suggest that people stored goods and controlled who could use them. This is an early sign of administration, or organised record-keeping.
Example
More than a hundred clay sealings were found together in a storage bin at Gilund. They show that goods were sealed and checked, much like sealed containers in a storehouse.
Don't confuse with
- Balathal: another Ahar-Banas site, near Udaipur. It is known for its fortification and the early leprosy skeleton.
- Harappan seals: these were stamp seals with script and animal motifs. Gilund's finds are impressions on clay, with no writing.