Bhirrana Findings Push Back Origins of Indus Valley Civilisation to 8000 BCE | 20 Feb 2026

Why in News?

Recent archaeological research from the site of Bhirrana in Haryana, supported by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and IIT Kharagpur, suggests that the Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) may be approximately 8,000 years old.

Key Points:

• Bhirrana (Haryana): Radiocarbon (C-14) and Thermoluminescence (TL) dating of pottery and charcoal samples indicate human habitation as early as 7500–8000 BCE.
• Revised Timeline: While the "Mature Harappan" phase is traditionally dated between 2600–1900 BCE, new radiocarbon dating of pottery shards and animal remains from Bhirrana indicates human habitation dating back to 7500–8000 BCE.
• Oldest in the World: This makes the IVC older than the Egyptian (c. 7000–3000 BCE) and Mesopotamian (c. 6500–3100 BCE) civilisations.
• Continuity of Culture: The excavations show a continuous evolution from the Pre-Harappan Hakra phase to the Mature Harappan phase, challenging the theory that urbanisation was an imported concept.
• Climate Change and Adaptation: Research indicates that the civilisation did not simply "collapse" but adapted to environmental shifts:
  • Monsoon Shift: As the monsoon weakened roughly 7,000 years ago, Harappans shifted from water-intensive wheat and barley to drought-resistant millets and rice.
• Indigenous Origins: It challenges the "Diffusion Theory" which suggested that urbanisation was imported from Western Asia.