A new study has found the presence of animal products, including cattle and buffalo meat, in ceramic vessels dating back about 4,600 years at seven Indus Valley Civilization sites in present-day Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Beef politics has always gained traction in India being a cheap source of protein for masses versus religious sentiments of the fundamentalists.

How was the study conducted?

• The study is the first to look into the absorbed lipid residues in pottery from multiple sites, including Rakhigarhi, Farmana and Masudpur.
• Lipids are relatively less prone to degradation and have been discovered in pottery from archaeological contexts around the world.

Key findings

• The high proportions of cattle bones suggest a cultural preference for beef consumption across Indus populations, supplemented by the consumption of mutton/lamb.
• The study found little evidence of dairy products. However, there could be regional differences as a recent study of vessels in Gujarat had found evidence of dairy products.
• About 50-60% of domestic animal bones found at Indus Valley sites come from cattle/buffalo.
• It says that at Harappa, 90% of the cattle were kept alive until they were three or three-and-a-half years, suggesting that females were used for dairying production, whereas male animals were used for traction.

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now