Archaeologists
discontinue Moen-Jo-Daro drain work
LARKANA:
Archaeologists digging a drain to protect the remains in the north
of DK-G area of Moen-jo-Daro from stagnating rainwater during
rains have dropped the idea to continue the work for fear that
further excavation can damage the underlying structures.
The
Director of Project, Qasim Ali Qasim told media persons on Monday
that at square-34 of the first street, unusual phenomenon of a
drain running in east-west direction had been discovered. It was
the first time that a drain in this direction had been found in
Moen-jo-Daro, he maintained.
V-shaped sock-pit where both east-west and north-south drains
were meeting had been found and a single brick wall with good
masonry was among the discoveries near the triangular drain, he
added.
Very close to just 1.5 metres deep, tiny beads of 3mm used in
necklace and terracotta figurine and human figurine with stretched
legs and arms were discovered from the site, he said. A rectangular
seal with human forms making an offering to a tree and a few characters
of Moen-jo-Daro language inscribed on it had been found. On the
other side of the seal two persons were stripping someone standing
against a wall while another was offering something to a lion,
Qasim Ali Qasim said and termed them very rare discoveries. Dixit,
an archaeologist, had found one such seal in 1925-26, he added.
A gold bead recovered from the area was the second gold bead so
far discovered from the site. The first such bead had been discovered
in 1964-65 by Dales, the PD said.
"The
area is rich in cultural material as we found remains and objects
just at a depth of 60 centimetres. Disc beads of 1 millimetre,
agate and cardinal itching beads were also found during the digging,"
he added. The Project Director said complete miniature pots, a
crucible and eight-shaped grinding stone with four legs, flower
basket, girl's figurine and terracotta rattle were also among
the new discoveries. He said that due to lack of a modern laboratory,
we are unable to analyze a big bone obtained from the site. It
needs pathological analysis to ascertain either it is a human
bone or animal's. "The bone may be of Indus Ibex," said
the curator of Moen-jo-Daro but added it needed to be verified.
First
time in the history of excavation of Moen-jo-Daro, an object of
a sheep with curved horns had been discovered, the curator said.
The thick deposition traced in the V-shaped drain needed delicate
scientific study as the findings could give an idea about the
kind of food the residents of the ancient city had been taking,
Qasim Ali Qasim said.
He said he would contact the experts involved in deciphering the
Indus script to understand the characters etched on the seal as
he had never before seen such characters (connected to Indus Script)
and the individuals along with the offering pot before some tree
and lion. He said that the presence of cultural material had prompted
him to stop digging and redesigning the drain for pumping out
rainwater from DK-G area.—Agencies
