TOBA TEK SINGH, March 31 An eight-member team of the archaeology department (northern circle, Lahore) has confirmed the artifacts recovered from Sangarwala Tibba village, some 38 kilometers from here, date back to 15th and 16th centuries.

Project director Maqsood Malik said the village, which was located near river Ravi in Kamalia tehsil, was at least 45 feet higher than the nearby cultivated land of the area.

He said the excavated land had an area of about 1300x1000 square feet.

Talking to this correspondent, members of the archaeology team, who have been busy in excavation since March 23, said that signs of a mud boundary wall were also found in this centuries' old locality.

They said pottery, coins, household items, metal ware, jewellery and an iron melting oven had been recovered from three different sites they dug up to 10 feet so far.

Archaeologists said the excavation site was only 20 kilometers from Harrappa and there was a possibility that artifacts of the Harrappa era civilization might be recovered in future.

They said the further excavation would continue till the utilization of Rs40 million funds which the government had already released for this purpose.

Close to 80 families of farmers of nearby villages had built their houses at some higher and safer place (tibba) in 1988 when they were displaced by heavy floods.

About two years back, some villagers informed their MNA Riaz Fatiyana about the pottery, coins and other household items they discovered while constructing their houses.

An archaeology team had arrived at the village and carried out some digging about two years back, but they had to return because of the shortage of funds.