Faunal Remains in Mature Harappan Mortuary Contexts: A Zooarchaeological Review and Synthesis (c. 2600–1900 BCE)

Abstract

Zooarchaeological research on the Indus Civilisation has largely focused on faunal assemblages from habitation contexts, providing important insights into animal husbandry, subsistence, dairying, traction, and butchery practices. In contrast, animal remains from mortuary contexts have received comparatively limited attention. This paper reviews and synthesises the available evidence for faunal remains associated with Mature Harappan (c. 2600–1900 BCE) mortuary contexts across the Indus core region of Sindh and Punjab, Gujarat, and the Ghaggar–Hakra region of Haryana. Mortuary evidence is evaluated alongside the better-documented zooarchaeological record from settlement contexts to explore possible relationships between everyday animal exploitation and funerary practice. The review shows that animal remains recur, although unevenly, within Harappan mortuary landscapes, but their interpretation is constrained by inconsistent recovery, limited contextual documentation, and the scarcity of detailed taxonomic and taphonomic analyses. Rather than assigning a single function to these remains, the paper considers several overlapping possibilities, including food provisioning for the deceased, funerary consumption or feasting, deliberate ritual deposition, and the expression of social differentiation. These interpretations remain provisional because burial-specific faunal datasets are still limited. By bringing together previously scattered evidence, this review identifies mortuary zooarchaeology as an underdeveloped dimension of Harappan research and highlights the need for systematic recovery, species-level identification, skeletal-element and taphonomic analysis, and precise contextual recording. Such approaches can substantially improve understanding of animals, ritual practice, and social differentiation within the Indus Civilisation.