Harappan people ate high protein laddoos, reveals Study

People living during the Harappan civilization around 4000 years ago have been found consuming highprotein multigrain laddoos according to a study The scientific study of the material found during an excavation in Rajasthan has revealed thisJointly conducted by the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences BSIP Lucknow and Archaeological Survey of India ASI New Delhi the study was recently published in the Journal of Archaeological Science Reports by ElsevierAt least seven laddoos were discovered in 2017 during the excavation of a Harappan archaeological site in Binjor in western Rajasthan near Pakistan border between 2014 and 2017BSIP senior scientist Rajesh Agnihotri said Seven similar bigsize brown laddoos two figurines of bulls and a handheld copper adze a tool similar to an axe used for cutting or shaping wood were excavated by the ASI at the Harappan site in Anupgarh district of RajasthanThese laddoss dating back to around 2600 BCE were found well preserved since a hard structure had fallen in such a manner that it acted as a roof over them and prevented them from getting crushed Had they been broken the laddoos would have decayed entirely but since these were in contact with the mud some of the internal organic matter and other green constituents remained protectedHe said the most peculiar thing about these laddoos was that when it came in contact with water the slurry turned purple ASI had handed over samples of laddoos to BSIP for scientific analysisAt first we thought that these laddoos excavated near the banks of Ghaggar erstwhile Saraswati had some connection with occult activities since figurines and adze were also found in close proximity We were intrigued by their shape and size as they were clearly manmade This curiosity led us to explore their composition We initially presumed it could be a nonvegetarian food Agnihotri saidHowever primary microscopic investigations carried out by BSIP senior scientist Anjum Farooqui found that these were composed of barley wheat chickpea and a few other oilseedsAs the early Indus Valley people were mainly agriculturists the composition of these food balls with mainly vegetarian items with high protein content made sense he addedThe presence of pulses starch and protein was further confirmed by discovery of significant excesses of magnesium calcium and potassium These laddoos had cereal and pulses and moong dal dominated the ingredients the scientist saidFull organic geochemistry of the food balls was later conducted at BSIP and National Botanical Research Institute NBRI in LucknowA team of nine scientists and archaeologists from the two institutes concluded that the presence of seven laddoos along with typical Harappan toolsitems hinted that Harappan people made offerings performed rituals and consumed multinutritive compact laddoos as a food supplement for instant nutritionThe presence of bull figurines adze and a Harappan seal in the vicinity of these seven food balls signifies that humans revered all these items due to their utility and importance to themThe study provides important insights into types of food grain used in making laddoos which reveal contemporary farming practices by Harappan people This scientific finding appears to be unique and opens up avenues for more intrusive scientific research in archaeology to reconstruct the unwritten history of India and its glorious past Agnihotri saidThe discovery of food balls along with figurines of bulls and copper adze suggests that Harappan people used these items to perform some kind of ritualsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever