 The extent of theSwat and Cemetery H cultures are indicated; Geography of the Rigveda, withRigvedic rivers names | |
| Geographical range | Pakistan North India (Punjab,Haryana,Western Uttar Pradesh) |
|---|---|
| Period | Bronze Age |
| Dates | c. 1900–1300 BCE |
| Type site | Harappa |
| Major sites | Harappa Bhagwanpura |
| Characteristics | Extensive copper metallurgy cremation of human remains |
| Followed by | Painted Grey Ware culture |
TheCemetery H culture was aBronze Age culture in thePunjab region in the northern part of theIndian subcontinent, from about1900 BCE until about1300 BCE. It is regarded as a regional form of the late phase of theHarappan (Indus Valley) civilisation (alongside theJhukar culture of Sindh andRangpur culture of Gujarat), but also as a phase of theIndo-Aryan migrations[citation needed].
The Cemetery H culture was located in and around thePunjab region in present-day Pakistan and India. It was named after a cemetery found in "area H" atHarappa. Remains of the culture have been dated from about 1900 BCE until about 1300 BCE.
According toMohammad Rafique Mughal, the Cemetery H culture developed out of the northern part of theIndus Valley civilization around 1700 BCE, being part of the Punjab Phase,[1] one of three cultural phases that developed in theLocalization Era or "Late Harappan phase" of theIndus Valley Tradition.[2][3] According toKenoyer, the Cemetery H culture "may only reflect a change in the focus of settlement organization from that which was the pattern of the earlier Harappan phase and not cultural discontinuity,urban decay, invading aliens, or site abandonment, all of which have been suggested in the past."[4] According to Kennedy and Mallory & Adams, the Cemetery H culture also "shows clear biological affinities" with the earlier population of Harappa.[5][6]
Some traits of the Cemetery H culture have been associated with theSwat culture, which has been regarded as evidence of the Indo-Aryan movement toward the Indian subcontinent.[7] According to Parpola, the Cemetery H culture represents a first wave ofIndo-Aryan migration from as early as 1900 BCE, which was followed by a migration to the Punjabc. 1700–1400 BCE.[8] According to Kochhar, the Swat IV co-founded the Harappan Cemetery H phase in Punjab (2000–1800 BCE), while the Rigvedic Indo-Aryans of Swat V later absorbed the Cemetery H people and gave rise to thePainted Grey Ware culture (to 1400 BCE).[9]
Together with theGandhara grave culture and theOchre Coloured Pottery culture, the Cemetery H culture is considered by some scholars as a factor in the formation of theVedic civilization.[9]
The distinguishing features of this culture include:[10]
Some of the designs painted on the Cemetery H funerary urns have been interpreted through the lens ofVedic mythology:
For instance, peacocks with hollow bodies and a small human form inside, which has been interpreted as the souls of the dead, and a hound that can be seen as the hound ofYama, the god of death.[12][13] This may indicate the introduction of new religious beliefs during this period, but the archaeological evidence does not support the hypothesis that the Cemetery H people were the destroyers of the Harappan cities.[14]
Cremation in India is first attested in the Cemetery H culture, a practice previously described in theVedas. TheRigveda contains a reference to the emerging practice, inRV 10.15.14, where the forefathers "both cremated (agnidagdhá-) and uncremated (ánagnidagdha-)" are invoked.
