Reference
Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization
An archaeologist's lavishly illustrated account of the Harappan cities.
Mehrgarh Cultural Tradition
Archaeological culture
Level 2
★ Major power
c. 7,000–2,600 BCE
One of the earliest farming and herding settlements in the Indian subcontinent.
- Capital
- Mehrgarh (Bolan Pass)
- Region
- Northwest
- Duration
- 4,400 years
- Main period
- Early Agricultural Cultures
Approximate extent.
Key events
| Year | Event | Place |
|---|---|---|
| c. 7,000 BCE | Farming begins at Mehrgarh Among the earliest evidence of wheat, barley and cattle domestication in the Indian subcontinent. |
Mehrgarh |
| c. 5,500 BCE | Pottery appears at Mehrgarh | Mehrgarh |
| c. 5,000 BCE | Earliest cotton and copper at Mehrgarh Cotton seeds and copper beads among the earliest in the world. |
Mehrgarh |
Sites & monuments
Mehrgarh
Archaeological site · c. 7,000 BCE
Neolithic farming village in Balochistan.
📚 Recommended reading on the Mehrgarh Cultural Tradition
Popular history
Early Indians
A lively look at who the first Indians were, drawing on genetics and archaeology.
Textbook
Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12)
Source-based chapters on Harappa, Vijayanagara, the Mughal court and 1857 — essential for UPSC.
Textbook
India's Ancient Past
The expanded version of the classic old-NCERT ancient India text; clear and exam-friendly.
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Contemporaries
Powers that coexisted with the Mehrgarh Cultural Tradition for a significant part of its history.