Fresh findings from Bhirrana suggest that the Indus Valley Civilisation may be nearly 8,000 years old. Radiocarbon dating of pottery and animal remains recovered there points to settlements and farming communities emerging far earlier than previously believed. The civilisation, also known as the Harappan civilisation, is usually placed in the period 2600–1900 BCE. Its best-known urban centres include Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Dholavira and Rakhigarhi. If confirmed, the Bhirrana dates would push the civilisation's beginnings well before that conventional timeline.