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Periano Ghundai () meaning "The Hill of Fairies" was an archaeological mound located in the
In a later period, Periano Ghundai belongs to the Togau phase in Baluchistan. Togau ware is dated 3500-3000 BC. It was first defined by
"Shahr-i Sokhta and the Chronology of the Indo-Iranian Borderlands"
in ''Paléorient 37 (2)'' According to Jarrige et al (2011), four stages have been defined in the evolution of the Togau pottery, as attested during the
Zhob district
Zhob District (, ) is a district in the northwestern part of Balochistan province of Pakistan. The population of Zhob District was estimated at 355,692 in 2023. Water from Zhob River is used for irrigation in the district.
Administration
The 199 ...
in Balochistan, Pakistan
Balochistan (; ; , ) is a province of Pakistan. Located in the southwestern region of the country, Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan by land area but is the least populated one. It is bordered by the Pakistani provinces of Khybe ...
. The site is located west of the town of Zhob
Zhob (; ), formerly known as Fort Sandeman is a city and district headquarters of the Zhob District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. Zhob is located on the banks of the Zhob river. It lies 337 kilometres away from Quetta, the capital ...
. It was excavated in 1924 by Sir Aurel Stein and showed great resemblance to the Harappa
Harappa () is an archaeological site in Punjab, Pakistan, about west of Sahiwal, that takes its name from a modern village near the former course of the Ravi River, which now runs to the north. Harappa is the type site of the Bronze Age Indus ...
n culture.
It is located along the Zhob River
Zhob River (; ) is located in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The total length of the Zhob River is 410 km, and it flows on a generally northeasterly course.
Etymology
In the Pashto language, ''Zhob'' means "oozing water". Ling ...
which forms a part of the Indus River basin.
Archaeology
Periano Ghundai was settled as early as 4300 BC, along with several other similar sites in Baluchistan.The number of settlements known inThese developments were taking place duringBaluchistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region of de ...and in the adjacent lowlands had greatly increased by around 4300 BC, and they included important settlements such as Periano Ghundai (in the Zhob Valley),Mundigak Mundigak () is an archaeological site in Kandahar province in Afghanistan. During the Bronze Age, it was a center of the Helmand culture. It is situated approximately northwest of Kandahar near Shāh Maqsūd, on the upper drainage of the Kushk- ...(in the Kandahar region), Faiz Mohammad (in the Quetta Valley), Togau (in theSarawan Sarawan ( Balochi: سراوان) was a division of the former princely state of Kalat in Baluchistan, Pakistan, with an area . To the north were Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan ...region), andSheri Khan Tarakai Sheri Khan Tarakai is an ancient settlement site located in the Bannu District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. It was occupied from approximately 5000 BC to 2500 BC. Excavations have shown that the settlement at Sheri Khan Tarakai was ...(in the Bannu basin).
Mehrgarh
Mehrgarh is a Neolithic archaeological site situated on the Kacchi Plain of Balochistan, Pakistan, Balochistan in Pakistan. It is located near the Bolan Pass, to the west of the Indus River and between the modern-day Pakistani cities of Quetta, ...
period III.
Togau phase
In a later period, Periano Ghundai belongs to the Togau phase in Baluchistan. Togau ware is dated 3500-3000 BC. It was first defined by Beatrice de Cardi
Beatrice Eileen de Cardi, (5 June 1914 – 5 July 2016) was a British archaeologist, specializing in the study of the Persian Gulf and the Baluchistan region of Pakistan. She was president of the British Foundation for the Study of Arabia, and ...
in 1948. Togau is a large mound in the Chhappar Valley of Sarawan
Sarawan ( Balochi: سراوان) was a division of the former princely state of Kalat in Baluchistan, Pakistan, with an area . To the north were Quetta
Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan ...
, 12 kilometer northwest of Kalat in Baluchistan.
Togau is a fine black-painted pottery
Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...
which originated in southern Afghanistan (Mundigak
Mundigak () is an archaeological site in Kandahar province in Afghanistan. During the Bronze Age, it was a center of the Helmand culture. It is situated approximately northwest of Kandahar near Shāh Maqsūd, on the upper drainage of the Kushk- ...
region) and eastern Balochistan (Kachi-Bolan region). Later, it spread to central/southern Balochistan (Surab, Jhalawan
Jhalawan ( Brahui: جھالاوان) was an administrative division of the Khanate of Kalat, a princely state of Brahui that acceded to Pakistan in 1947. It was established in the 17th century and its boundary was fixed with Sindh in 1853. ...
, and Makran
Makran (), also mentioned in some sources as ''Mecran'' and ''Mokrān'', is the southern coastal region of Balochistan. It is a semi-desert coastal strip in the Balochistan province in Pakistan and in Iran, along the coast of the Gulf of Oman. I ...
regions) and the Indus Valley (Amri).Jarrige, J.-F., A. Didier, and G. Quivron, (2011)"Shahr-i Sokhta and the Chronology of the Indo-Iranian Borderlands"
in ''Paléorient 37 (2)'' According to Jarrige et al (2011), four stages have been defined in the evolution of the Togau pottery, as attested during the
Mehrgarh
Mehrgarh is a Neolithic archaeological site situated on the Kacchi Plain of Balochistan, Pakistan, Balochistan in Pakistan. It is located near the Bolan Pass, to the west of the Indus River and between the modern-day Pakistani cities of Quetta, ...
Period III. This tradition started to develop in the 5th millennium BC and continued up to mid-4th millennium (3500 BC).
Togau and Kili Ghul Mohammad wares are closely related. Traditionally, they are considered as the first painted pottery styles in Balochistan.
Ceramics
Periano Ghundai painted ware is distinguished by black-on-red slip decorations. Geometric motifs predominate and are similar to those on Faiz Muhammad and Quetta ware potteries of the Damb Sadat phase. Thus, there seem to be cultural connections between Periano Ghundai and Damb Sadat phases. Although similar, Faiz Muhammad painted ware is characterized by black-on-grey slip decorations. Periano Ghundai site was completely destroyed by the locals sometime after 1950.See also
* List of archaeological sites and monuments in BalochistanReferences
{{coord missing, Balochistan, Pakistan Zhob District Archaeological sites in Balochistan, Pakistan