THE preliminary study of 2nd-3rd century CE structures excavated in Gujarat’s Vadnagar has revealed that people there might have known about earthquake resistant techniques, experts said on Sunday. Experts said no cracks or stress were found in these structures despite the area, some 100 kilometres from here, being prone to earthquakes, though they added the observations need further corroboration.

 

“These are heavy brick structures with heavy walls. The area is prone to earthquakes, so it is quite likely people living way back in the 2nd and 3rd centuries devised this construction method of putting some gap and maybe wood in between to act as a squeeze,” said Professor Vasant Shinde, archaeologist and Director General of National Maritime Museum.

 

“These are mostly houses and other structures that date back to the 2nd-3rd centuries and continue till modern times, as modern settlements on top of the mound show the same structure,” he added. All the structures, comprising religious, residential and storage, are heavy, and it shows the affluence of the settlement, he added.