Content uploaded by Tilok Thakuria
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Tilok Thakuria on Jul 10, 2014
Content may be subject to copyright.
A preview of the PDF is not available
Iron Age in the Peninsular and Southern India
Figures
Figures - uploaded by Tilok Thakuria
Author content
All figure content in this area was uploaded by Tilok Thakuria
Content may be subject to copyright.
... Stephen Hislop noticed and excavated one such monument at Takalghat in 1847 (Mohanty and Thakuria 2014). In the subsequent years, Hislop also dug 'a few' Megalithic burials at Junapani (Carnac 1879: 2-3). ...
... There was discovery of a tripod of iron having motifs of fish, dear and bird from excavation at Mahurajhari (Mohanty 2005). This tripod though considered as ideo -technomic object does not reveal religious affiliation of Megalithic people to any religion (Mohanty and Thakuria 2014). ...
The presence of Megalithic monuments in Vidarbha came to limelight for the first time in 1847. British officials deputed in the region recovered and excavated many of the Megalithic sites during the pre‐independent phase. Systematic and scientific research on Megalithic in the region was, however, initiated by S. B. Deo in 1960. It was his initiative that samples for 14C dates were collected and dated. Based on these obtained dates, Deo proposed a time bracket of 700‐800 BC for the Megalithic culture in the region. However, a re‐look into these dates and some other recent findings suggest that the beginning of the Megalithic culture in the region may go earlier than 700‐800 BC. The present paper tries to evaluate both the available absolute and relative dates and argue for a possibility of pushing back the date for the beginning of Megalithic culture in Vidarbha.
... Geologically, the entire region lies within the Deccan Traps-an igneous province of flood basalt-with large areas of lateritic rock and clay soils covering residual hills and river basins. The region has been surveyed extensively, and a number of sites have been excavated over the last few decades, most of which date to the earlier Iron Age and 'early historic' periods (Hawkes & Casile, 2020;Mohanty & Thakuria, 2014).2 However, few investigations have been published in detail, and those that are do not provide details of the pottery from each site. ...
This article presents the results of the analysis of archaeological ceramics collected during landscape surveys in the Vidarbha of Maharashtra, India; and offers the first attempt at a regional pottery typology for this area. Here, as in many other parts of South Asia, the pottery from archaeological sites have been subject to considerable scrutiny. Yet, so far approaches to their study have focussed on mainly their surface colour and feel. This has resulted in overly simplistic typologies that do not (and cannot) accommodate the full range of variation that exists within a ceramic assemblage, and so limit their value as archaeological evidence. Addressing this, we apply a chaîne opératoire -based approach to the analysis of a ceramic assemblage that we have been developing in this region. This results in a much more complex and detailed pottery typology than has so far been achieved. Throughout this study we also identify points of comparison with familiar parallels published elsewhere. In doing so, the resulting typology, while by no means the final word on the matter, provides a valuable and flexible resource that others working in this region and neighbouring areas can use for their own analyses and research. Moreover, in shifting the bases of categorisation and classification to the ways that pottery was made, we are able to incorporate far more of the variation that exists in the material itself. Indeed, the amount of variation can be somewhat bewildering in comparison to the standard (limiting) typological categories that populate earlier reports, and forces us to question those frameworks. Yet, we argue that it is precisely this sort of uncertainty that has to be embraced if the study of archaeological ceramics for the region of the ancient Vidarbha is going to continue to develop as a meaningful area of archaeological enquiry.
... The site has been surveyed and excavated a number of times, notably by S.B. Deo who excavated a series of the stone circles and associated burials at the site between 1970-1972(Deo 1973. Between 2001-2004, R.K. Mohanty excavated the area of historical habitation to investigate the bead-manufacturing industry (Mohanty 1999;2004;2006;Mohanty and Thakuria 2014;Thakuria and Mohanty 2009;Vaidya and Mohanty 2015). Together, the results of these investigations have revealed a complex sequence of activity and occupation at the site from at least the mid-first millennium BCE to the mid-first millennium CE and beyondwhat, in India, is known as the Megalithic period or early Iron Age to the early historic period. ...
This article presents the results of the analysis of the pottery from the recently excavated site at Mahurjhari in central India. In doing so, it also proposes a new way of looking at archaeological ceramics in South Asia. Here, archaeological ceramics are traditionally defined on the basis of their visual appearance (their colour and texture), which results in a great deal of ambiguity, limits intra- and inter-regional comparison, and impedes a more material culture-based approach to their study. Indeed, there is no established pottery typology for the region in which this site is located, and despite the fact that ceramics invariably account for the majority of excavated assemblages they frequently remain unreported. Addressing this, we suggest that recording and analysing archaeological ceramics on the basis of how they were made (essentially, implementing a chaîne opératoire approach) might be a useful way to proceed. Given that such approaches are new in this area, we explain what this entails, and then present the results of the analysis of this pottery assemblage using these methods—defining classes of pottery on the basis of traces left by the ways they were made. With a typology thus defined on the basis on the practice of pottery manufacture, we then seriate the assemblage with reference to recent AMS dates obtained from the site and suggest a chronological sequence for the pots from this site. These results are then framed within a wider discussion of the potential value of the application of new ways of looking at archaehttps://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue52/9/images/index.jpgological ceramics in South Asia.
... Black and red ware is a chronology marker of Iron Age, which is commonly represented from megaliths and lesser in habitation (see Mohanty and Thakuria 2014;Morrison et al. 2015;Morrison 2005). However, they are often associated with late Neolithic levels at Sangankallu-Kupgal (Fuller et al. 2005), Watgal (Deavaraj et al. 1995) and Piklihal (Allchin 1960) and their distinctiveness in the sites of Raichur Doab is they overshadow ceramic tradition associated with Iron Age (Korisettar et al. 2002;180-81;Foote 1916: 32). ...
Raichur Doab constitutes land between the rivers of Krishna and Thungabhadra confluence; constituting approximate area of 22,000 km2. The Doab is characterised by two different physiography, west and east. The western portion is a terrain and the eastern portion is relatively plain. This is a semi-arid region with a dry deciduous forest with often tree scrubs, grasslands and very sparse vegetation, sometimes barren on the stony waste/ low land denudations. The current research is confined to northwestern portion of the Doab, bordering with 65 km discharge of Krishna (south bank only) to 35 km down south where there are series of granitic valleys with intrusive dykes. The study area is of about 1300 km2 including valleys of both densely vegetation-covered and very sparsely covered Dharwars, intrusive dyke valleys, granodioritic inselbergs and knobs of residual characters, granitic stony waste/ low land denudations covering a major portion of the study area.
This research continues the works of Foote (1916), Munn (1935), Allchin (1954), Sundara (1969) and Korisettar (1979). Their expeditions during the span of 1880 to 1980 have exposed Middle Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Iron Age sites and their publications have contributed towards temporal and spatial gaps in the archaeology of Raichur Doab (Chapter 1). Therefore, the present explorations aim at exploring unexplored areas and make a detailed reporting and documentation in addition to a systematic reconnaissance at reported sites in the background of landscape, site land use and settlement pattern, sampling cultural materials and archaeological features. Likewise, the author has studied twenty-four sites including thirteen newly discovered (Chapter 2), and statistical and attribute analysis were conducted on the sampled artefacts and archaeological features (Chapter 3).
As the geography of the study area is diverse, this study finds the scope of landscape and their implication on cultures to flourish in dynamic ways. Yet, the sites are interconnected with irrespective kinds of landscape and depended on the common resource availabilities. Such as, High Level Gravels on the bank of Krishna and intrusive dykes in the valleys are chief resources for the lithic tool production. The former being exploited since Middle Palaeolithic to Iron Age, and the latter is a novel material for Neolithic celt production, probably continued even during Iron Age. Longitudinally, the gravels have been carried to many of the multiperiod sites associated with granodioritic valleys ranging from a distance of 1km to 35 km further south. Neolithic sites are closely located with dyke valleys, and material for their dolerite celt production is more closely available than for their microliths.
The hunting-gathering economies such as Middle Palaeolithic and microlithic/ Mesolithic sites are associated with the high-level gravels on the riverbank. Such sites are Anchesugur, Anjal, Gopalapura and Nilavanji. Middle Palaeolithic sites are completely absent in the interior valleys and are only confined to the river environ; suggests the implications of gravel as a material for lithic production, and suitability of forest in the plains and aquatic faunal availabilities for their subsistence. Microlithic industries, such as Bairappamaradi site complex and Shambulingeshwaragudda in the very dry denudational landscapes, away from the riverbank indicates the catchment range for gravels and exploring valleys for their diet. The emergence of agro-pastoral economies, i.e. Neolithic culture confined to the residual hills catered with natural springs and rock shelters for sustaining both life and cultures.
Sites such as Wandalli, Goudur, Bassapura and Chikka Hesaruru are located in the high-density vegetation landscapes of granitic and Dharwar schist valleys that are ideal for grazing cattle, which was a chief subsistence economy as indicated by the massive dimension of ashmounds and extensive number of cattle motifs in the settlement sites elsewhere. Multi-period settlement sites such as Bilamrayanagudda, Anandgal, Harvapura, Kotekal, Watgal and Maladkal range in periods from Pre-Neolithic, Neolithic, Iron Age and Early History. These sites have sheltered the above cultures for not less than 3000 years considering time bracket of 3000 BC to 300 AD for Neolithic – Early History.
Irrespective of four major kinds of landscapes (riverine, denudational, Dharwars, granodiorite/ dolerite on the younger granites) across northwestern part of Raichur Doab were explored and exploited during different cultural phases of Pleistocene and Holocene. The earliest to occupy was Middle Palaeolithic, the earliest to explore wider range of landscape was during Microlithic/ Mesolithic. Hunter-gathers of the Microlithic/ Mesolithic phase seem to have better advantage of various combinations of landscapes. But for a settled agro-pastoral group, one such landscape that supported their occupation in a long run was granodiorite and dyke valleys. Such landscapes have catered to their pastoral, agricultural, lithic tool needs and given a feeling of secure shelter in the summits. The scope of such landscapes is attested further by repeated reoccupation of the sites by Iron Age (and even continued during Early History); new iron technology and improvised political ideas might have better adapted to such landscapes.
Megalithic culture in peninsular India is related to the Early Iron Age wherein profuse use of iron is noticed. Early Iron Age cultural remains besides settlements are prominently represented by their burial remains (Fig. 1). The megalithic culture of India is specifically identified with their distinct burial practice. Archaeological vestiges of this period scattered in India can be divided into two broad groups. Group I includes the ancient remains buried underground while group II incorporates the remains of monuments visible above the earth. According to geographical patterns and ecological settings, different types of burial modes were practised by megalithic folk, hence regionalism and commonality can be easily identified.
This paper presents an account of morphometric and pathological observations made on a skeleton recovered from the Iron Age habitation-cum-burial site at S. Pappinayakkanpatti The individual represented is a mid dle aped adult male Robustness exhibited by this individual reflects the rigorous life style and mixed food habits The notable pathology is a wound scar on the parietal. possibly caused by a flat and sharp metal weapon Dental pathologies like amnion, caries and tartar accumulation have also been noticed.
Piklihal Excavations. Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Archaeological Series No
- Óñ
óñ. 1960. Piklihal Excavations. Hyderabad: Andhra
Pradesh Archaeological Series No. 5.