Dairy production in the Indus Valley Civilisation

 

Dairy production in the Indus Valley Civilisation 

• The year 2020 marks 100 years of discovery of Indus Valley Civilisation, and a new study has shown that dairy products were being produced by the Harappans as far back as 2500 BCE. 
• By analyzing residues on ancient pots, researchers show the earliest direct evidence of dairy product processing, thus throwing fresh light on the rural economy of the civilization. The studies were carried out on 59 shards of pottery from Kotada Bhadli, a small archeological site in present­day Gujarat.
• When we talk about Harappans, we always refer to metropolitan cities and the big towns. But we have no idea of the parallel economy — agro­pastoral or rural. We know they had great urban planning, trading systems, jewelry making. But we don't have any idea how the common masters were living during the Harappan times, their lifestyle, and how they were contributing to the larger network
• The team used molecular analysis techniques to study the residues from ancient pottery. Pots are porous. So as soon as we put any liquid form of food, it will absorb it. The pot preserves the molecules of food such as fats and proteins. Using techniques like C16 and C18 analysis we can identify the source of lipids
• Traces were seen in cooking vessels indicating that milk may have been boiled and consumed. Researchers also found residues in a bowl showing that either heated milk or curd could have been served. There are also remains of a perforated vessel, and similar vessels were used in Europe to make cheese. So it is possible that they were further processing milk into different forms.
• The team was also able to show which type of animals were being used for dairy production. They studied the tooth enamel from fossils of cattle, water buffalo, goat and sheep found in the area. Cows and water buffalo were found to consume millets, while sheep and goats ate nearby grass and leaves. A preliminary study suggested that most of the cattle and water­buffalo died at an older age, suggesting they could have been raised for milk, whereas the majority of goat/sheep died when they were young, indicating they could have been used for meat.
• The Harappans did not just use dairy for their household. The large herd indicates that milk was produced in surplus so that it could be exchanged and there could have been some kind of trade between settlements. This could have given rise to an industrial level of dairy exploitation
• The most fascinating thing about the Indus Valley Civilisation is that it is faceless — there is no king, no bureaucratic organizations, but there are these very close regional interactions between settlements, a symbiotic relationship of giving and take that helped the civilization survive for so long

Source: The Hindu