“Culture” in Archaeology

Let’s begin with a simple question:

When archaeologists dig the ground and find old bricks, pots, or tools — how do they make sense of it all?
Do they call everything “ancient”? Or is there a system to it?

Yes, there is a method behind the madness 😊, and that system is based on the idea of “culture” in archaeology.

Understanding ‘Culture’ in Archaeology

When archaeologists use the word “culture,” they’re not referring to music, dance, or language like we commonly do.

In archaeology, “culture” means a collection of objects that share:

• Similar style
• Same geographical location
• Same time period

Think of it like this:
If you find a set of tools, pottery, seals, beads, bricks, etc., all with a similar design, and found in one region, from one time period, that forms an archaeological culture.

🏺 Example: Harappan Culture

Let’s take the Harappan Culture as a perfect example.

It is identified by objects like:

• Seals (with animal motifs and script)
• Beads (often made of semi-precious stones)
• Weights (used for trade)
• Stone blades (used as tools)
• Baked bricks (uniform size, used in town planning)

Wherever you find these together—from Harappa to Mohenjodaro to Lothal—you’re looking at the same cultural zone.

🏷️ How Are Cultures Named?

Not all cultures are named the same way. They can be named based on different identifying criteria. Let’s look at the logic:

Basis of Naming	Example
Material used	Iron Age Culture
Type of Pottery	Painted Grey Ware (PGW) Culture
Geographical Region	Indus Culture
First Excavated Site	Jorwe Culture

This tells you that naming is a method of classification—just like in biology. It helps in sorting different civilizations based on what they made, where they lived, or what we found first.

📆 Chronological Division of Cultures

Cultures are also divided based on technological stages—that is, the materials/tools people used in a given time period.

This forms the chronological framework of ancient Indian history:

🛠️ Based on Tools/Material Used:

Age	Tools/Material Used
Stone Age	Stone tools (no metal)
Chalcolithic Age	Stone + Copper (no iron)
Bronze Age	Use of bronze (copper + tin)
Iron Age	Use of iron tools and weapons

🏺 Based on Pottery Styles:

Pottery tells us a lot—from cooking habits to trade.

Pottery Type	Period	Features
Black and Red Ware (BRW)	Late Harappan to Early Iron Age	Simple, often handmade
Painted Grey Ware (PGW)	Vedic period	Fine grey pottery with black painted designs
Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW)	Mauryan & post-Mauryan	Highly glossy, luxury ware, urban elite used it

These pottery styles help us date the sites even when no other evidence is available.

🏕️ What is a ‘Site’?

You’ll often hear terms like “archaeological site” in books and UPSC questions.

📌 Definition:

A site is a location where:

• People lived
• Tools and pottery were used
• Buildings existed
• Artefacts were created and left behind

These could be found:

• On the surface (e.g., tools on dry land)
• Underground (e.g., buried ruins)
• Underwater (e.g., submerged settlements like Dwaraka)

Example Sites:

• Mohenjodaro: Urban site of Harappan Civilization
• Jorwe: Chalcolithic culture site in Maharashtra
• Arikamedu: Coastal trading port (Roman trade)