Archaeologists at the Rakhigarhi Research Centre have successfully implemented a new dating methodology using Calcium-44 isotopic fractionation to analyze the thermal history of ancient ceramic kilns. This technique allows researchers to determine the exact season and frequency of kiln usage with a precision of plus or minus five years, significantly refining the timeline of the Early Harappan transition in the Ghaggar-Hakra basin.
The research, published in Archaeological Science Reports, demonstrates that the transition from handmade to wheel-turned pottery occurred during a rapid 50-year period of urban intensification around 3200 BCE. This high-resolution chronology challenges previous models of slow, gradual development and suggests that specialized craft guilds were established much earlier than previously hypothesized in the Indian subcontinent.