Amri (Pakistan)

Amri is an archaeological site in what is now Pakistan , about 110 kilometers north of Hyderabad in Sindh Province . It is the eponymous site of the Amri culture , which preceded the Indus culture in many places.

The archaeological site now consists of two hills, which may once have been a hill. During excavations, five phases of settlement could be distinguished, which in turn were divided into various layers. In Period I (approx. 3600–2750 BC) most of the pottery was still handmade. The rest of the goods are very thin-walled, made on a potter's wheel and decorated with geometric patterns on a light background. This pottery increased over time. There is evidence of copper, clay beads, stone tools. There were adobe buildings. At the end of this period, elements of the Indus civilization can be observed. Above all, figurative images now appear on the ceramic, especially the bull . In period II (approx. 2750–2450 BC) more and more elements of the Indus culture appear. Period III (approx. 2450–1900 BC) belongs almost entirely to this culture. In the last phase, the Indus culture is replaced by the Jhukar culture , while period IV (approx. 1900-1300 BC) can be assigned to the Jhangar culture . Period V is Muslim and dates much later.

On the basis of this site it can be shown that the Indus culture did not develop directly from the Amri culture and that this did not suddenly replace the Amri culture, at least in this place, but that there was a longer phase in which both cultures existed together .

literature

• JM Casal: Fouilles d'Amri , Paris 1964

Coordinates: 25 ° 54 ′ 35 ″  N , 67 ° 55 ′ 25 ″  E