Machines of War from 2,000 BC Unearthed in Elite Burial Ground in India

October 9

Archaeologists performing excavations at a site known as Sinauli in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India unearthed a most extraordinary set of Chalcolithic period (Copper Age) remains and artifacts. These included several ancient royal burials, the first of their kind found in the Indian subcontinent, and three nearly intact war chariots that would have been used in battle as long as 4,000 years ago.

“Eight burials were excavated from the site; among them a royal burial with copper decorated legged coffin (lid with a series of anthropomorphic figures) and headgear has also been recovered,” the archaeologists wrote in an article about their excavations published in the journal Radiocarbon.

“Among these remarkable discoveries, three full-sized chariots made of wood and copper, and a sword with a wooden hilt, made this site unique at historical ground.”

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Variety of pots and bones from the burials. (E) Cylindrical bead. (F) Sword (G) Wooden comb. (H). Torch (Mashaal). (Sharma, S et al. 2024/Archaeological Survey of India/Radiocarbon)

Based on the location of the Sinauli site, in the Ganges River valley in the Baghpat district, the archaeologists have linked it to the prosperous Ochre-Colored Pottery (OCP) culture that lived in the region in 2,000 BC. The elaborate and specific nature of these new discoveries reveals valuable information about the function of Sinauli during the Indian Copper Age, and about the people that occupied it.

“These cultural findings signify that the ancients from this place were involved in warfare,” the study authors wrote.

“All these recovered exclusive antiquities also proved the sophistication and the high degree of craftsmanship of the artisans.”

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Aerial view of the excavation of the tombs where the chariots were found. (Sharma, S et al. 2024/Archaeological Survey of India/Radiocarbon)

The Ochre Colored Pottery Culture’s True Nature is Revealed

The excavations that produced these rare and remarkable artifacts were carried out in 2018 by a team of researchers from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences in Uttar Pradesh. It was only in 2024 that they were finally able to complete their analysis of their discoveries, and issue a report on what exactly they’d found that explains its significance.

The chariots’ high-quality design and craftsmanship testifies to the advanced abilities of OCP artisans. The bodies of the chariots were covered with complex geometric figures, while the spokes of the wheels were decorated with copper triangles. The copper adornments have become dull with the passage of time, but when fully shined and glistening these artifacts would have signaled the power and influence of the chariot driver and/or its occupants.

Notably, the war chariots were in used in India at the same time as chariot builders were creating similar wheeled carriages in Mesopotamia and ancient Greece. This could be strictly a coincidence, or it could suggest some type of ancient contact between the peoples of northern India and these other regions.

The Buried Tell Their Stories

Another significant find was the royal wooden coffin with the anthropomorphic (human-like) figures on the lid. The individuals depicted were all wearing double-horned helmets and were clothed with sacred fig leaves, suggesting the epic nature of their struggles. Two of the chariots were entombed as a part of this particular burial, which also featured a collection of expensive grave goods including a copper helmet, an ornamented whip, several decorative staffs, and many beads made from gold and steatite (soapstone).

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Royal burial with a coffin and a helmet. (Sharma, S et al. 2024/Archaeological Survey of India/Radiocarbon)

The person buried here must have been a high-ranking and respected military leader, the researchers concluded. Given the substantial collection of goods buried beside this individual, it is clear the people of the Ochre-Colored Pottery culture believed in an afterlife and wanted to make sure their most admired leaders entered the next world with ample supplies plus impressive symbols of their exalted status.

The archaeologists performed radiocarbon dating tests on the wood from the coffins and chariots, which confirmed these artifacts were approximately 4,000 years old. The date and nature of the discovery prove that Sinauli was a major military center for the OCP people, who must have had complicated (and at least sometimes hostile) relationships with neighboring cultures.

Up to now, no other evidence has been found to suggest Copper Age peoples living in northern India were warlike. That means the excavations at Sinauli have produced a true breakthrough discovery, since the presence of the chariots and associated armaments implies that OCP peoples must have engaged in disputes with rivals over territory and control of valuable natural resources (the two primary motivations for warfare in the ancient world).

In general it shows that the OCP culture was more advanced than previously believed, which has implications for the study of the history of the entire region.

A Thriving Center of a Surprisingly Advanced Culture

Excavations have been going on at Sinauli for two decades. Whatever type of settlement existed there was likely prominent because of its strategically significant location on the Ganges-Yamuna doab, a section of land found between where these two rivers converge.

The excavations have unearthed more than just royal burials. The archaeologists have also found burials of non-elites, where no grave goods or only inexpensive grave goods were recovered, and partial burials where dirt was apparently used to hastily cover up people who had died on the spot. The excavations also unearthed the burials of several different types of animals, and it is believed these graves had some sort of symbolic or ceremonial association with the human burials.

It is known that the Ochre-Colored Pottery culture thrived at Sinauli for five centuries (from 2,000 to 1,500 BC). The culture’s heyday coincides with the late phase of the sophisticated Indus Valley Civilization, which occupied the lands of modern-day northwestern India and Pakistan. The advanced stage of both suggests they would have interacted with each other as equals to at least some extent, whether in a friendly or unfriendly manner (most likely a combination of both).

Top image: Chariot exposing the wheels and copper pillar. Source: Archaeological Survey of India/Radiocarbon

By Nathan Falde

References

Sharma S, Pokharia AK, Gahlaud SKS, et al. Royal burials and chariots from Sinauli (Uttar Pradesh, India): Radiocarbon dating and isotopic analysis based inferences. Radiocarbon. Published online 2024:1-9. doi:10.1017/RDC.2024.89

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