Re: [cybalist] SV: Re: avestan and vedic

Thanks S. Kalyanaraman for your post about

> There is a recent scientific publication titled
> VEDIC SARASVATI published in Oct. 1999 by the
> Geological Society of India, Bangalore. The findings
> are that the tectonic causes resulted in river
> migrations in NW India. Sutlej (Vedic S'utudri_) which
> was a tributary of River Sarasvati joining her at
> Shatrana (Punjab)took a 90-degree turn near Ropar (an
> archaeological site) and shifted westwards to join the
> Beas (Vitasta) and then the Sindhu. [There are no
> archaeological sites on the Sindhu west of Ropar on
> the Beas or Sutlej]. Yamuna which was also a tributary
> of River Sarasvati joining her also at Shatrana
> migrated
> westwards east of the Aravalli (Arbuda) ranges which
> cut through the plains right upto the Siwalik ranges.
> This Yamuna migration led to the sangam (confluence)
> of Yamuna, Sarasvati waters with the waters of Ganga.
> There are hundreds of archaeological sites on the
> Sarasvati River Banks after the Shatrana confluence.
> The later date sites are on the Ganga-Yamuna doab. The
> width of the river at Shatrana was 20 (twenty) kms!
> and the average width of the flow right through the
> Thar (Marusthali) desert was between 3 to 8 kms. right
> upto the Rann of Kutch. Prof. Gregory Possehl in his
> monumental work INDUS AGE--THE BEGINNINGS (Published
> in Feb. 2000) has given a gazetteer of 2,600 ancient
> sites; of these over 75% are on the banks of the River
> Sarasvati. It appears the river was a larger river
> than the Sindhu and was navigable and had supported
> large number of cultural settlements between 3500 to
> 1200 BC.
> The desiccation of the river caused by the desertion
> of the Sutlej and Yamuna (Himalayan river
> tributaries)led to the river being fed (after 1200 BC)
> only by monsoon rains from the Siwalik ranges (and no,
> molten glacier sources).
>
> A reasonable hypothesis is that migrations (to the
> Ganga-Yamuna doab, to Godavari river and to
> Afghanistan--haraqvaiti area) followed the
> desiccation, say between 1900 to 1000 BC.

The migrations you suggest to Afghanistan out of India, I believe are
contradicted by the archaeological evidence of pottery styles and
dating. Furthermore, the period from 1900 to 1000 on the basis of
recent climatological evidence saw two periods of dessication - one
from 1900 BCE to 1650 BCE and a second from 1200 BCE to 850 BCE.
During these periods, the balance between agriculture and nomadic
pastoralism changed in favour of the latter. People tended to move
out of arid and semi-arid areas into areas which were previously
agricultural. It is shown in Egypt (Hyksos from Asia, Lybians from
north Africa, Red and Black Nuba in the Sudan), in Mesopotamia
(Amorites, Hurrians, Kassites, Aramaeans, Hebrews) on the Pontic and
Eurasian Steppes (Kuban cultures, Cimmerians, Scythians, Sarmatians
etc). India, like Egypt, tended to be the recipient of such
movements, rather than the originating location.

Hope this helps

John