Gandhara grave culture

Gandhara grave culture appears on the timeline as a people or culture of Afghanistan and the northwest (South Asia) from c. 1600 to 500 BCE, a span of 1,100 years. Its people spoke Indo-Aryan languages (Vedic, Sanskrit, Prakrit, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Sinhala).

Cemeteries in the Swat and Dir valleys with cremation and inhumation graves, horse gear and grey pottery. Many scholars link them to early Indo-Aryan speakers moving toward the Punjab.

See Gandhara grave culture on the interactive timeline

Facts

Dates

c. 1600 to 500 BCE

Duration

1,100 years

Type

People or culture

Region

Afghanistan and the northwest, South Asia

Language family

Indo-Aryan

Events in South Asia during its time

• 1500 BCE Rigveda hymns composed
• 1000 BCE Iron spreads across the Ganges plain

Neighbours in South Asia

• Kuru Kingdom c. 1200 to 500 BCE
• Achaemenid eastern satrapies c. 535 to 330 BCE
• Magadha (Haryanka dynasty) c. 544 to 413 BCE
• Panchala c. 1100 to 350 BCE
• Avanti c. 600 to 350 BCE
• Vajji confederacy c. 700 to 468 BCE
• Kosala c. 700 to 475 BCE
• Shakya republic c. 650 to 480 BCE
• Gandhara c. 600 to 518 BCE

Elsewhere in the world at the same time

• Minoan civilization c. 3100 to 1450 BCE, Europe
• Carthage c. 814 to 146 BCE, North and West Africa
• Shang dynasty c. 1600 to 1046 BCE, East Asia
• Roman Republic 509 to 27 BCE, Europe
• New Kingdom of Egypt c. 1550 to 1069 BCE, North and West Africa
• Greek city-states c. 800 to 338 BCE, Europe
• Neo-Assyrian Empire 911 to 609 BCE, Middle East
• Old Babylonian Empire 1894 to 1595 BCE, Middle East
• Hittite Empire (New Kingdom) c. 1400 to 1180 BCE, Middle East
• Achaemenid Empire 550 to 330 BCE, Middle East

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