Mythical massacre at Mohenjo-daro
Topic: Harappan (Sindhu-Sarasvati) Civilisation · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 1 "Bricks, Beads and Bones"
Meaning
This phrase is the title of George Dales's 1964 rebuttal of the idea that Mohenjo-daro ended in a massacre. In 1925, skeletons were found at the site, in a spot later called "Deadman Lane". In 1947, Mortimer Wheeler linked them to an Aryan attack: "Indra stands accused". Dales showed that this story did not hold up. The case is a classic example of re-examining evidence and reversing an old interpretation.
Example
Dales found that the skeletons belonged to different periods and that the burials were careless. There was no layer of destruction and no burnt city. He found no armoured warriors and no sign of a last defence of the citadel. So no single massacre or invasion had taken place.
Don't confuse with
- Wheeler's invasion theory: this was Wheeler's 1947 claim, which Dales's work overturned.
Related concepts
- Decline of the Harappan civilisation
- 4.2 kiloyear event
- Late Harappan phase
- Cemetery H culture
- Jhukar culture
- Sinauli
- Thirsty crow pot
- Aryan invasion theory
- Mortimer Wheeler