Year |
Description
|
1871 (19th Century)
|
Alexander Cunningham was made the Director-general of the ASI
|
1875 (19th Century)
|
Alexander Cunningham’s Report on Harappan Seal
|
1902 (20th Century)
|
John Marshall became the Director General of the ASI
|
1921 (20th Century)
|
M.S. Vats started excavations at Harappa
|
1924 (20th Century)
|
John Marshall announced the discovery of the Harappan Civilization
|
1925 (20th Century)
|
Excavations began at Mohenjodaro
|
1944 (20th Century)
|
R.E.M. Wheeler took over as Director-General of the ASI
|
1946 (20th Century)
|
R.E.M. Wheeler excavated Harappa
|
The discovery of Harappa preceded that of Mohenjodaro, but unfortunately, Harappa suffered significant damage due to extensive brick theft. As early as 1875, Alexander Cunningham, the inaugural Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and revered as the father of Indian archaeology, documented that the amount of brick taken from the ancient site would have been sufficient to construct a railway line stretching approximately 100 miles between Lahore and Multan. Consequently, numerous ancient structures at Harappa were adversely affected. In contrast, Mohenjodaro fared much better and experienced superior preservation. John Marshall's appointment as Director-General of the ASI brought about a significant shift in Indian archaeology. As the first professional archaeologist to work in India, Marshall leveraged his experience from excavations in Greece and Crete. R.E.M. Wheeler, who became Director-General of the ASI in 1944, recognized the need to follow the stratigraphy of the mound instead of uniform horizontal lines. He brought military precision to the practice of archaeology, rectifying the shortcomings of Marshall's approach. |