Sothi (archaeology)

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Sothi is an early site of the Indus Valley Civilization in the Bikaner district of Rajasthan, India. It dates to around 4600 BCE and lies about 10 km southwest of Nohar railway station, in the plain of the Ghaggar and Chautang rivers. The Ghaggar is often linked with the mythical Sarasvati river, while the Chautang is associated with the Drishadvati.

Sothi forms the core of the Sothi–Siswal culture, a tradition named after two sites about 70 km apart. This culture spread across Rajasthan, Haryana, and the Indian Punjab, with roughly 165 sites reported. Its pottery shows broad similarities to the Kot Diji culture to the northwest. Distinctive Sothi ceramics include painted pipal leaves or fish-scale designs, external ribbing and cord impressions, ceramic toy cart wheels, and a short-stemmed dish on a stand. Sothi ware is found at many Harappa-area sites in the Ghaggar valley and further south.

Sothi is considered a Pre-Indus Valley Civilisation settlement; some researchers, like Tejas Garge, believe Sothi culture predates Siswal and should be seen as the earlier tradition. The Sothi ceramic period is sometimes called Kalibangan I, with Kalibangan II corresponding to the Mature Harappan period.

Discovery and excavations: Sothi was first discovered by Luigi Pio Tessitori. It was later investigated by Aurel Stein (1942), Amalananda Ghosh (1950–53), and Kshetrams Dalal (1980).

Nearby sites include Kalibangan about 60 km to the west at the confluence of the Ghaggar and its rivers, Siswal 70 km to the east, and Rakhigarhi about 140 km east.