Harappa - Harappa (English spelling)

One of the representative urban ruins of the Indus civilization. It is located on the left bank of the Rabi River, 20 km west of Sahiwal in the Punjab region in central-eastern Pakistan. Since its excavation by D. R. Sahani of the Archaeological Service of India in 1922, excavations have been carried out by Butts and Wheeler of Britain, but due to subsequent destruction, the full extent of the ruins is not as clear as that of Mohenjo-daro, and only the western citadel and its surroundings have been revealed.

The fortifications form an almost parallelogram extending north to south, measuring approximately 200 meters east to west and 400 meters north to south. The entire fortification is surrounded by thick walls made of sun-dried bricks covered with fired bricks, with watchtowers at the northwest and southeast corners, and probably gates to the north and west, with bastions built in places. The west gate and the adjacent 12-meter-thick foundation of the fortifications, both of which were excavated by Wheeler, shed the most light on the fortification's appearance, and it was also revealed that a cultural layer predates the formation of civilization below this level.

There are also several important remains in the area to the northwest outside the fort, sandwiched between the site and the former dried-up riverbed of the Rabi River. Namely, a large and orderly granary with a floor area (more than 800 square meters) similar to that of Mohenjo-daro, though its base wall is not as high as that of Mohenjo-daro, is located near the river, and to the south of that is a workshop with 18 workbenches laid out in a circle with baked bricks and what appears to have a wooden mortar in the center, as well as two rows of standardized small houses that are probably housing for workers.

Meanwhile, two cemeteries were discovered south of the fort, and one of them, named H, revealed traces of the H Cemetery Culture, which indicates a cultural phase later than the peak of the civilization. The distribution of this culture has also been traced in the Bahawalpur region near the Indian border, raising various questions about the final period of the civilization and afterwards, but the details are still unknown.

[Masaaki Konishi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

インダス文明の代表的な都市遺跡の一つ。パキスタン中東部、パンジャーブ地方サヒワルの西方20キロメートル、ラービ川左岸に位置する。1922年のインド考古局のD・R・サハニによる発掘以来、バッツ、イギリスのウィーラーらが発掘を行ったが、遺跡の全容は、後世の破壊によってモヘンジョ・ダーロほどに明確ではなく、西側の城塞(じょうさい)部とその周辺が明らかにされているのみである。

　城塞部は南北に長いほぼ平行四辺形をなし、東西約200メートル、南北約400メートルの規模である。全体が焼成(しょうせい)れんがで表面を覆った日干しれんが製の厚い城壁によって囲まれており、北西と南東隅にそれぞれ見張り塔を置くほか、おそらくは北と西に城門を開け、所々には稜堡(りょうほ)が築かれていた。なかでもウィーラーの発掘した西門とそれに隣接する厚さ12メートルもの城壁基壇がもっともよくその様相を明らかにしており、この下層からは、文明形成以前の文化層のあることも明らかになった。

　城塞外の北西方、かつてのラービ川の涸(か)れ川河床との間に挟まれた地域にも、いくつかの重要な遺構がある。すなわち基壇の腰壁はモヘンジョ・ダーロのものほど高くはないが、床面積（800平方メートル余）においてそれとほぼ同様の、大規模で整然とした穀物倉が川に近い所にあり、その南方には円形に焼成れんがを敷き詰め、中央に木製の臼(うす)を据えたと思われる作業台を18個並べた作業場、またおそらくは労働者用の住居と思われる、規格化された小住宅を二列に配した建物などがある。

　一方、城塞外南方には二つの墓地が発見され、そのうちHと名づけられた墓地からは、文明最盛期よりのちの文化様相を示すH墓地文化の跡が明らかとなった。同文化の分布はインド国境に近いバハーワルプル地方にも跡づけられ、文明末期およびその後に関する諸問題を提示しているが、その詳細はまだ不明である。

［小西正捷］

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