A REVIEW ON THE SPREAD OF THE ANAEMIA IN THE INDUS VALLEY

Abstract

The Harappan, or Indus Valley, civilization, with characteristics such as a highly specialized and functionally integrated economy, centralized hierarchical institutions and a large population base, is considered by many to be among the earliest and most evolved of ancient civilizations. During the most recent cemetery excavations at Harappa, two of the 29 cranias recovered revealed cranial lesions of porotic hyperostosis, indicative of chronic anaemia. However, any of the 92 individuals for whom postcranial remains were preserved showed no lesions associated with the symptoms of inherited anaemias, indicating that the most likely diagnosis is an acquired iron de science. In a diverse ecological environment, this low prevalence of anaemia can be associated with a good nutritional base and few gastrointestinal and other infections due to high personal and community hygiene standards. Genetic anaemia may be responsible for an apparently higher incidence of porotic hyperostosis in Mohenjo-Daro, a Harappan site located in a different environmental region, but these results are tentative due to the limited samples available for these and other South Asian sites.