Indian archaeologists discover 4,000-year-old coffin burials, furnaces and other artefacts

The Archaeological Survey of India has discovered two decorated “legged coffins” with two skeletons at an excavation site near Sanauli in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat district. The skeletons were discovered along with other artifacts during the resumption of excavation at the site, Report informs citing the Archaeology News Network.

Excavation had been carried out at the site earlier in 2018 and resumed again under the direction of Dr SK Manjul, Director, Institute of Archaeology, ASI. The renewed excavation is being carried out to better understand the extension of the burial site and also the habitation area in relation with earlier findings.

According to an ASI release, the excavation is being carried out in two different areas: the first in the area in continuation of the 2018 excavation and the second in an area 200 metres east of the former.

In the first area, two burial pits - No 9 and No 10 - and a sacred chamber of burnt bricks were discovered along with burial goods.
In burial pit no. 9, a wooden “legged coffin” decorated with steatite inlays containing the extended skeleton of a female, laid out in the North-South direction and tilted 10 degrees west was excavated.

This burial pit also contained evidence of a decomposed bow, bone points, an armlet of semiprecious stones, gold beads and pottery including vases, jars, bowls and a dish on a stand systematically arranged towards the northern and eastern sides of the coffin.