Balochistan is the hub of archeology. Archaeological activities in Balochistan began during British rule in the 19th century. As a result, a landscape of diverse cultural traditions was discovered. In this era of archaeological research in unearthing the cultural history of the Indo-Pak sub-continent, several renowned archaeologists, including Sir Aurel Stein (1905-43), Harold Hargreaves (1919-29), Brigadier E. J. Ross (1935-48) and Stuart Piggott (1943-50) made praiseworthy efforts. They identified various periods, cultures, and wares in many parts of Balochistan.
In the post-independence period, taking into account the cultural importance of Balochistan, more active research by archaeologists equipped with scientific procedures started, which led to new paradigms. Most of these archaeologists are affiliated with foreign missions that have not been confined to their region and carry out research in several parts of Balochistan. This allowed creating a chrono-cultural sequence of the area from the Aceramic Neolithic to the Pre-Achaemenid Period with no cultural gap.
Pirak Belongs to the Indus Valley Civilization
Pirak is an archaeological site that belongs to the Indus Valley Civilization. Around 10 km South of Sibi, between the Nari River and the road extended from Sibi to Jacobabad, stands Pirak Mound. It stretches on an area of nine hectares. It lies in the Kachi Plain, which makes a valley embayment inside the mountainous and ridged terrain amongst the Kirthar and Sulaiman Ranges. It is a large prehistoric mound near the abandoned railway station of Pirak. It is approximately 250 yds long, North to South. Its width is about 120 yds, while its maximum height is about 25 ft above the plain.
Traces of mud-brick walls are visible on the higher parts of the mound. The abundant, decorated pottery that occurs all over the mound appears to be unique. It is called the Pirak Bichrome Ware. Pirak was occupied between 1800 and 800 BC. Discovered in 1956, Sir Robert L. Raikes revisited the site in the early 1960s and made a collection of materials from its surface for further investigations.
Exploration of Pirak
Later, Pirak was excavated from the year 1968 to 1974. Due to extensive rainwater, the mud-brick structures were vividly visible back then. Pirak Mound is an archetype of a variable agricultural revolution in the post-Harappan eras. In conjunction with the settlement of Pirak, a canal was constructed, which shows a continuation of the irrigation facility in the Kachi Plain. The excavations reveal that cultivation of crops including rice, millet, and sorghum were practiced, and for the sake of transportation, the people domesticated camels, horses, and donkeys. Pirak has many round seals, sealings, and tokens with geometric patterns unearthed in a broad topographical area.
Rice was cultivated as the major crop in post-urban Pirak while oats, chickpeas, and grapes were also planted. Rice was not a random occurrence in Pirak. The several constructions employed as warehouses suggest that rice was cultivated like wheat and barley, perhaps where the latter two crops did not find an appropriate environment for growth. Analysis of the various samples collected revealed the presence, at the base of the site, of colossal sediment of rice straw about 30 – 50mm in thickness. Furthermore, the proof of rice at the Pirak site, outside the region of Ganges Valley in India, depicts the rice dispersal in early times due to the suitable conditions for rice agriculture of this region.
Moreover, the first confirmed use of horse and camel for riding is found in the latest levels of Pirak. Between 1800 to 800 BCE, elaborately decorated camel and horse figurines with riders were being produced at Pirak. Also found at Pirak are Jhukar circular seals. Since horses are associated with the Vedic culture, some scholars view Pirak as an indication for intrusive communities coming into the Indus valley from the North-West. Then again, it is notable that the figurine styles and pottery of Pirak are limited to the Kachi Plain and Balochistan and do not proliferate to other sites in the Indus Valley.
Pirak is situated on a low alluvial terrace of the Kachi plain in an area having about 4 inches annual rainfall. It must undoubtedly have been much eroded, regularly by wind and at intervals, by torrential summer thunderstorms. The discovery of plentiful Pirak bichrome shards all over the top of the mound points out that perhaps only Pirak ware and its antecedents will be discovered in the 25 feet depth of deposits remaining above ground level when the site is excavated as it seems urgent that it should be. The relatively recent exposure of Pirak levels may account for the reasonably good state of preservation of most of the surface shards.
Pirak is a preserved site in Balochistan, excavated by archaeologists, which has escaped the ravages of time. Pirak has many round seals, sealing, and tokens with geometric patterns unearthed in a broad topographical area.
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