 Show zoomed out Show zoomed mid Show zoomed in | |
| Location | @Bikaner District, Rajasthan, India |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 28.5866947, 73.7625641 |
| Type | EarlyIndus Valley Civilization site |
| History | |
| Founded | Around4600 BCE |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | Luigi Pio Tessitori (first discovery),Aurel Stein (1942),Amalananda Ghosh (1950–53), Kshetrams Dalal(1980) |
Sothi is an earlyarchaeological site of theIndus Valley Civilization dating to around 4600 BCE, located in the [[BikanerDistrict]] ofRajasthan, India, at a distance of about 10 km southwest ofNohar railway station.[1]
First discovered byLuigi Pio Tessitori, the site was later visited byAurel Stein (1942),Amalananda Ghosh (1950–53), and Kshetrams Dalal (1980).[1]
It is situated in the plain of the ancientGhaggar andChautang rivers that were flowing parallel to each other from east to west in this area. About 60 km to the west, the large Indus settlement ofKalibangan was situated at the confluence of these rivers.[2]
Siswal, inHaryana, is located about 70 km to the east, and has similar remains. This is now known as Sothi-Siswal culture.
The ancient site ofRakhigarhi is about 140 km east from Sothi, and together with Sothi and Siswal, was situated in the valley of the Chautang river.
Karanpura is also located nearby along the Chautang.
In the view of many scholars, Ghaggar was the ancientSarasvati River of myth and legend, and Chautang, its tributary, was theDrishadvati river.[3]
Sothi-Siswal culture: Based on thepottery found here, it is classified as a separate archaeological culture / subculture.[4] This culture is named after these two sites, located 70 km apart. It was widespread in Rajasthan, Haryana, and in the Indian Punjab. As many as 165 sites of this culture have been reported. There are also broad similarities between Sothi-Siswal andKot Diji ceramics. Kot Diji culture area is located just to the northwest of the Sothi-Siswal area.[5]
Sothi-Siswal ceramics are found as far south as theAhar-Banas culture area in southeastern Rajasthan.
Sothi is the site of a Pre-Indus Valley Civilisation settlement dating to as early as 4600 BCE.[6]
According to Tejas Garge, Sothi culture precedes Siswal culture considerably, and should be seen as the earlier tradition.[6]
Sothi ceramic ware may feature paintedpipal leaves, or fish scale designs. External ribbing and external cord impressions are also typical of Sothi ceramics, as are ceramic toy cart wheels and the short-stemmed dish on a stand. Sothi ware is present at almost all theHarappa sites in the Ghaggar valley, and also to the south.[citation needed]
The historical period represented by Sothi ware is also calledKalibangan I. Mature Harappan period is designated Kalibangan II.[citation needed]
29°07′32″N74°43′35″E / 29.1255°N 74.7264°E /29.1255; 74.7264
