The archaeological mystery of the Gulf of Cambay - Earth's oldest city or coincidental nature?
part of the Orient's Goldfest 2008 Archaeological Mystery Tour
The Initial Offshore Discovery:
In 2000 and 2001, quite by accident during a routine area assessment, a team of oceanographers from India's National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) found some startling results from their sonar underwater landscape testing. Giant geometric structures resembling those remains found in ancient cities elsewhere in northern India/Pakistan. Continued sonar results displayed miles of this city like appearance. The sonar results also showed deep channels indicating the area known as the Gulf of Cambay or Khambat once extended further out to sea and had rivers or estuaries running through the land.
The findings were forwarded to local government, and a follow up survey team was sent out to see if they could solidify the claims. This latest survey included 'sub-bottom profiling' and side scan sonar to determine the landscape of the sea floor.
When it was agreed upon by members of the Ministry for Science and Technology and Ocean Development that a possible settlement may indeed be lurking under the waters, it was decided to dredge a section of the area to see what it brought up. At this point, no professional underwater divers or archaeologists had seen the area or were part of any of the survey teams. The findings were done by sonar testing above water and the dredging done mechanically.
Objects & Structures
The dredge brought up a mix of objects, as to be expected in an area next to human occupation for millenia. A piece of wood, some pottery, fossilized bone and other objects were chosen out of the debris and set aside for further testing. Later in 2003 and 2004 after local chapters of the Ministry encountered arguments from the archaeological and oceanographic community, more underwater dredging was performed and pottery, beads, more wood and semi-precious stones were brought back to the surface.
The numerous sea bed landscape surveys brought back data it's readers claim showed large temple like structures, buildings placed on huge foundations similar to the Harrapan style, columns, domes and even what appeared to be staircases.
Starting the dating process:
The initial piece of wood, appearing to be man-made due to it's cylindrical shape and centered hole, was tested first and came back with a date of 9500 years old, or 7,500 b.c. The wood fragment was tested separately at another facility, and returned a date of only 5,000 b.c. In subsequent years, pottery from the second dredging was tested and found to be a shocking 31,000 years old. The pottery was described as 'daub and wattle type' with bits of other material added into local riverbed clay to add strength, and testing showed it was consistent with other pottery fired continually at 700 degrees.
Objectivity in Religion & Politics?
Local government politicians were quick to announce the findings, even before submitted to any sort of expert analysis. Proud that their region might hold the key to the beginnings of civilization, other Indian officials were quick to jump on board. Not all in India trusted this angle however. Several outspoken critics early on voiced their concern over political support of claims with no scientific exploration used only as a means to garner historical sites into India and away from Pakistan, where most of the largest Harrappa sites have been established.
Several Vedic scholars, when learning of the shockingly early dates of 5,500 b.c. to 7,500 b.c., also used the discovery to bring up long-held belief that early Vedic culture began in that early time frame and from sea-dwelling origin.
Eager to embrace "World's oldest city" title, still no photography had been taken of the underwater site, nor expert archaeological opinion sought..
The Community Reaction
Almost every aspect of the claims were disputed by field experts. To begin with, the dating of the wood was largely disputed as it has been established that the entire area was covered in forest in prehistoric times, and is completely unreliable as having any ties to a local civilization. The dating of the pottery causes equal dispute as a testing of general sediment from the area the pottery was dredged from dates from the same period and the pottery itself is likely naturally cemented by the sea floor. All other objects are expected objects, with the bay being a natural collector of objects from the long established local civilization existing on the water's edge.
Even the sonar and underwater survey findings meet with disbelief. Natural errors caused within the testing devices cause lines and structural appearing shapes.
But most of all, the argument was against the dates being given. The carbon dating process brought back dates that were up to 4,000 years older than any known civilization, including Sumer in modern day Iraq, currently held to be the oldest established civilization at around 4,000 b.c.
Despite heated arguments and outright disbelief, to date the area has never been seen by an underwater dive team, and no photography.
Left with a Mystery?
Dates too far back to be possible, carbon dating that cannot be trusted, surveys by un-qualified technicians and read by amateur government officials playing at archaeology. The entire archaeological and anthropological community dismissive of the claims. Quite alot stacked up against this "shocking find". But, for those of us who wish to view a glass half full, there still are possibilities here.
For one, the Gulf of Cambay is effectively the delta for the divine and ancient river Saraswati, who carried life and civilization through the area and was the source of not only Vedic culture but also the earlier Harrappan civilization as well. The entire eastern coast of India has moved miles from it's location in distant antiquity and it's landscape was deeply affected by the Great Flood (of the Black Sea). Perhaps there is a city there, yes, maybe it doesn't date to the original claims of 7500 bc, but perhaps it holds other mysteries for us about the beginnings of India, the Aryan peoples, the Vedic culture, or what happened to the Harrappa? Other theories have been thought wildly impossible we have since found to be true.
What do you think?
Thank you to Feiyan Zhou who once again provided her invaluable help in topic research.
Sources:
To take your first challenge, the "HOW old did you say that was?" Challenge, click the golden shovel above!
|
