Bhir Mound

Name of Site: Bhir Mound

Location: Taxila

Date of Foundation: 6th-5th century BC

Taxila has a long history of human occupation. The earliest remains found at site goes back to 7th century BC. Old Taxila had been at one time the capital city of ancient Gandhara. The vast area of Taxila valley consisted of three settlements. THE first of the excavated sites is the Bhiṛ Mound—the earliest of the three city sites. In this city much of the digging has consisted of trial trenches and pits, most of which have been filled in again; but a substantial area was opened up near the middle of the old city south of the Archaeological Museum and a little to the north of the village of Bhiṛ Dargāhi, and a smaller plot a little to the west of it. The remains unearthed in these two areas, as well as in a number of trial trenches, disclosed four strata, namely:

Excavation was carried out at various depths which showed that the construction techniques applied were different at each successive level. Stratum IV, fifth-sixth century B.C., belongs to Achaemenid period. Of these, the first stratum now consists of only a few fragmentary rubble foundations scattered here and there on the surface of the mound. As to the depths of the strata, the foundations of the second were found to descend to an average depth of about 4-6 ft. below the surface; those of the third to a depth of 9 or 10 ft., though occasionally somewhat deeper; and those of the fourth to a depth of 14-16 ft. Virgin soil was reached throughout the site at a depth of between 16 and 20 ft. As a rule, the foundations descend to some 2 or 3 ft. below the floor-level, but in some cases, especially in the third settlement, substantially deeper.

The walls in the second stratum are the neatest and most compact on the site. For the most part they are built of limestone and kañijūr combined, but sometimes of limestone only, and sometimes of kañijūr only. In the third stratum the masonry is generally somewhat rougher and looser than in the second, though exceptions to this rule may easily be found. In the fourth stratum it is invariably distinguished by its rougher and more massive character.