Barikot

Barikot बरीकोट بریکوټ
Town
Panoramic View: Barikot
Country	Pakistan
Province	Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
District	Swat
Tehsil	Barikot
Elevation	808 m (2,651 ft)
Population  (2023)
• Total	115,045
Time zone	UTC+5 (PST)

Barikot (Hindi: बरीकोट ; Urdu: بریکوٹ‎ ; Pashto: بریکوټ) is a town situated along the middle course of the Swat River in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It lies approximately 20 kilometers from Mingora and the Butkara Stupa, serving as the gateway to the central Swat Valley with an estimated population of around 25,000 residents. This town is historically significant, housing an ancient citadel that was captured by Alexander the Great, along with Chalcolithic remains dating back to approximately 1700 BC and an early historic settlement from around 600 BC. Since 1984, the Italian Archaeological Mission, later known as ISMEO and founded by Giuseppe Tucci, has been excavating the ruins of the ancient town of Bazira located beneath Barikot.

Excavations

While earlier excavations had confirmed the existence of Chalcolithic pit structures from 1700 BC, evidence of urban habitation predating around 150 BC was not uncovered until 2015. Prior to this, it was believed that the city emerged as a fortified center towards the end of the second century BC, built directly upon the remnants of a protohistoric village, with the primary evidence being the substantial defensive wall encircling the city and its acropolis.

Recent findings revealed early Iron Age proto-urban layers dated to the eleventh to eighth centuries BC, indicating that the fortified urban settlement in Barikot, encompassing both the lower area and acropolis, was established around the mid-first millennium BC.

Bronze Age (c. 1700 - 1400 BCE)

The earliest signs of human activity in Barikot date from around 1700 to 1400 BCE. According to Giorgio Stacul's findings from 1987, these remnants are classified as belonging to Swat Period IV, with pit structures identified since approximately 1700 BCE.

Late Bronze/Iron Age (c. 1200–800 BCE)

Between 2016 and 2017, the Italian Archaeological Mission conducted excavation campaigns that revealed the transitional period from the Late Bronze Age to the Iron Age, estimated to be around 1200 to 800 BCE. Excavations in trench BKG 12 W uncovered various artifacts during Macrophase 1b, including residential structures, workshops, a toy-cart, bi-carinated pottery, miniature vessels, stone tools, and incised pottery. These items were radiocarbon-dated to between 1196 and 1021 BC, with a 95.4% probability model.

During this era, approximately from 1200 to 800 BCE, archaeological evidence indicates the existence of a substantial settlement covering about 15 hectares. This included a hilltop acropolis, as noted by Callieri et al. (2000), an inner stronghold, and a large outer graveyard. This phase was previously referred to as the Gandhara grave culture.

Abandonment Phase (c. 800–600 BCE)

Following the Iron Age, the settlement experienced the downfall of its earthen rampart during Macrophase 1c. Subsequently, the site was deserted, and alluvial deposits began to cover the area in Interphase 1c/2a, which spanned approximately from 800 to 600 BCE.

The Beginning of the City and Achaemenid Acculturation Phase (c. 600–400 BCE)

Following the abandonment, archaeological evidence indicates that the city's beginnings can be traced to Macrophase 2a1, which occurred between 600 and 500 BCE, marking a pre-Achaemenid phase. This period is poorly represented in terms of finds and pottery, with only "a poorly preserved section of a wall revealing signs of a passageway indicated by wheel traces."

The influence of Achaemenid culture is associated with Macrophase 2a2, spanning from 500 to 400 BCE. This acculturation, evident from around 500 to 450 BCE, began with "the local production of tulip bowls at Barikot [which] implies that processes of emulation and social aspiration were already underway among the Swat elite during the early part of [the 5th century BCE]" within the Classic period of the Persian Empire. During this phase in Barikot, archaeologists discovered luxury pottery characteristic of the Achaemenids, alongside the emergence of non-luxury Indic pottery and various local glass artifacts.

Regionalisation Phase (c. 400–250 BCE)

Greek and Latin texts, such as those by Curtius Rufus, indicate that by around 350 BCE, Swat and Gandhara were no longer under Achaemenid control. During this period, a tribe known as the Assakenoi emerged as rulers of the region, forming alliances with other Indian tribes. Archaeologists from the Italian Mission suggest that this phase marked the complete decline of Achaemenid ceramic styles, although household Indic vessels continued to be used in Barikot. This time frame corresponds to archaeological Macrophase 2b, which lasted from approximately 400 to 250 BCE. Notably, the Macedonian siege of Barikot (Bazira) took place during this period, specifically in the autumn of 327 BCE. Additionally, within Macrophase 2b, a Mauryan coin was discovered in trench BKG 11, which was radiocarbon dated to between 349 and 282 BCE, with a 95.4% probability model indicating a date of 315 ± 34 BCE.