Surkotada and the identification of horse remains

Record summary

Excavations at Surkotada led by J. P. Joshi uncovered a fortified Harappan settlement and animal bones that were later identified by some specialists as horse remains. The claim matters because the presence, scarcity or absence of domesticated horse in the Indus civilization bears on models of mobility, exchange and later Indo-Iranian connections. Other zooarchaeologists have disputed the identifications or regarded them as uncertain. This is a strong comparison lead because it combines a securely named site with a contested specialist classification rather than a mysterious object or unsupported historical claim.