Amri (Pre-Harappa)

Amri is an archaeological site in present-day Pakistan, about 110 kilometers north of Hyderabad in Sindh province. It is the eponymous locality of the Amri culture that preceded the Indus Valley Civilization in many places.

The site today consists of two hills, which once may constitute a hill. Excavations five colonization phases could be distinguished, which in turn were divided into various layers. In period I (ca. 3600-2750 BC), most of the pottery was handmade. The rest of the goods is very thin-walled, made ​​on the potter's wheel and decorated with geometric patterns on bright background. This ceramic increased over time. There is evidence of copper, clay beads, stone tools. There were adobe buildings. At the end of this period, the occurrence of elements of the Indus Civilization can be observed. Especially appear on the ceramic also now figurative pictures, notably the bull. In the period II (ca. 2750-2450 BC ) occur more and more elements of the Indus Valley Civilization. The period III (ca. 2450-1900 BC) belongs almost entirely to this culture. In the final phase, the Indus civilization but is then replaced by the Jhukar culture, while the period IV (ca. 1900-1300 BC ) are attributed to the Jhangar culture. Period V is Muslim and dated much later.

Based on this finding space can be shown that the Indus civilization is probably not developed directly from the Amri culture and that this, at least at this place is not about suddenly replaced the Amri Culture, but that there was a longer phase of the joint existence of both cultures.