Indian Archaeology 1956-57 a Review
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INDIAN ARCHAEOLOGY 1956-57 A REVIEW Edited by A. GHOSH DIRECTOR GENERAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY IN INDIA DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY GOVERNMENT OF INDIA NEW DELHI 1957 PRINTED AT THE JOB PRESS PRIVATE LIMITED, KANPUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In bringing out this annual Review, the fourth number in the series, the first having been published in 1954, I gratefully acknowledge the generous help I received in its com- pilation from various sources which supplied the information and illustrations contained herein: first, my colleagues in the Union Department of Archaeology; next, the heads of corresponding institutions in States, of museums and of organizations engaged in valuable archaeological work; and, lastly, individuals, extremely limited in number, who had authentic information to give. As the sources are obvious in all cases, separate acknowledgements in the text have been considered unnecessary. I also thank those of my colleagues who, by their ungrudging assistance, have made the publication of the Review possible within a short time. The 2nd August 1957 A. GHOSH INDIAN ARCHAEOLOGY 1956-57 - A REVIEW I. GENERAL UBSTANTIAL progress was recorded all over India in the field of explorations and excavations during the year under review. In the Chambal basin in Rajasthan, Sexcavation in the river-section at one place stratigraphically established the co- occurrence of palaeoliths of the Sohan and Madras traditions. At another place, an overlap between the tools of Series I and II seemed to be indicated. Palaeoliths, both choppers and bifaces, were noticed at several other places situated on the rivers of the Chambal system. An exploration in the Malwa region also brought to light tools of Series I and II, one of the chief centres being the Mandasor region. Implement-bearing deposits were also located in the Tapti and upper Godavari valleys. It is important to note that the fossilized skull discovered at Kalegaon last year (Indian Archaeology 1955-56—A Review, p. 5) has now been identified as that of Bos namadicus Falconer, ascribed by M. R. Sahni to the Mid-Pleistocene. As tools of Series II were found embedded in the skull itself, there is little doubt that they have to be similarly dated. Further work at the pre-pottery microlithic site at Birbhanpur in West Bengal successfully associated the microliths with the penultimate terrace of the Damodar river, thus establishing their comparatively high antiquity. Black-and-red ware of chalcolithic association, with or without microliths, was found at a large number of places in the explored regions in Rajasthan and Malwa. The Gujarat phase of the Harappa culture continued to be investigated at Lothal, where a systematic town-planning was brought to light, in addition to objects, including seals, typical of the classical Harappa. Significant was the discovery of a black-and-red ware in association with the characteristic red ware. At Prabhas Patan (Somnath), a late phase of the Harappa culture, followed successively by other cultures, was laid bare. Special reference should be made of the very recent discovery, not mentioned in the following pages, of two sites, Mehgam and Telod, both near the Narmada estuary. A preliminary examination of their material indicates that both of them contain late Harappan pottery. Subject to confirmation by a detailed study, the sites would seem to represent the southernmost stations of the late Harappa culture till now known and would thus be of great significance. A renewed excavation at Bahal on the Girna in the upper Deccan brought out an interesting sequence of cultures: a chalcolithic culture, first with a thick grey ware and then with a black-on-red painted ware with microliths, succeeded consecutively by the Iron Age cultures typified by a black-and-red ware and the Northern Black Polished and the Red Polished Wares. Across the river was identified a cemetery of the chalcolithic folk, with urn- and pit-burials. 2. EXPLORATIONS AND EXCAVATIONS' EXPLORATIONS IN RAJASTHAN AND MALWA.—Many palaeolith- and microlith- bearing sites in Rajasthan were discovered in the valleys of the Chambal, Berach and Gambhiri during the last few years {Indian Archaeology 1953-54—A Review,' p. 37; 1954-55, p. 58; 1955-56, p. 68). An examination of the cliff on the left bank of the Chamli, near Badoli, showed an implementiferous deposit of conglomerate and a deposit of loose gravel overlying the gneissic bench. The surface-collections included tools of the Madras and Sohan industries mixed together and some blade-scrapers and Levallois flakes from the loose gravel. Superficial exploration also revealed semblances of three terrace-formations on the Chambal at several places, at one of which, called Chulia Falls, all the three terraces could be observed. The palaeolithic tools of the region divided themselves into two Series, called respectively Series I and II. The co-occurrence of Madras and Sohan tools being an important evidence for the study of Stone Age man in India, it was essential to study their sequential interrelationship and obtain a clear typological classification of the tools in the area on the basis of strati- graphy. Accordingly, two relatively undisturbed tool-bearing deposits in the Chambal valley, at Sonita and Bhainsrorgarh respectively, both in Chittorgarh District, were excavated this year by the Western Circle, under Shri S. R. Rao. The terrace noticed at Sonita, situated between the old and the present courses of the Chambal, 30 miles south of Kotah, possibly corresponded to Terrace 1 of Chulia Falls. The exposed section showed a 4-ft. thick deposit of implementiferous conglomerate overlain by a bed of gravel. The nineteen tools found in the conglomerate consisted of three choppers, four cleavers, eight scrapers and one ovate, the remaining three being of indeter- minate shapes (pls. I and II A). The flakes included those of the Clactonion technique. Thus, the existence in the area of Sohan choppers and Madras (Acheulian) bifaces with Clacton flakes was amply established. The later gravel-deposit bore flakes and flake-tools (pl. II B), such as a Levallois flake and hollow and blade scrapers. The absence of choppers and Acheulian handaxes in these deposits and the presence of flakes with prepared striking platforms and retouched edges suggested a later date for the second industry. Two implement-bearing deposits were noticed near Bhainsrorgarh, respectively situated on the left banks of the Chambal, at Navghat, and of the Bamini, a tributary of the Chambal. These deposits consisted of a thick layer of conglomerate at the bottom, a thin layer of loose gravel and metamorphosed shale and, lastly, a thick layer of loose gravel with heavy angular pebbles and coarse sand. The conglomerate overlay a deposit of weathered shale representing Terrace 2 of Chulia Falls and was hence later than the one at Sonita; consequently it was harder and less weathered. It yielded one chopper, seven handaxes, five cleavers, nine scrapers and two discoids, all of Series I, besides four flake-tools of Series II (pl. II B), pointing thereby to an overlap between the two Series. The smaller number of Sohan choppers and the greater number of Madras bifaces are to be accounted for by the probable dying-out of the Sohan industry during the change of the course of the Chambal from near the Chamli to its present bed. 1 See fig. 1. a This publication is referred to in the following pages by the year only. INDIAN ARCHAEOLOGY 1956-57—A REVIEW In the next upper layer, of loose gravel and shale, were found a handaxe, a cleaver and a scraper of the Acheulian industry, showing that even this industry had been on the decline and the Series II industry had come to stay. The uppermost gravel-layer yielded a few Levallois flakes and blade-scrapers, falling within the range of Series II. The Exploration Branch, under Dr. K. N. Puri, explored parts of Udaipur and Chittorgarh Districts in the fertile south-eastern parts of Rajasthan, sheltered by the Aravallis, and the northern parts of Mandasor District in Malwa, Madhya Pradesh, in the valleys of the Ahar-Berach-Gambhiri, Banas, Chambal and Wagan, as the beginning of a thorough investigation of the triangular stretch of land surrounded on all sides by the till-now known horizons of three important protohistoric cultures—on the north, west and south-west by the Harappa culture of Bikaner, Sind and Kathiawad, on the north- east by the Painted Grey Ware culture of the plains and on the east, south and south-east by the chalcolithic culture of central India and the Deccan. The exploration brought to light sites of various categories (fig. 2), viz. palaeolithic sites, microlithic sites, sites with the black-and-red ware and associated pottery and, lastly, sites of the early historical period. No Harappan site was, however, found. Palaeoliths (pl. III) were collected from the valleys of the Gambhiri, Wagan and Berach—at Chittor, Khor, Biawar and Nagri, all in Chittorgarh District. They represented a mid-to-late Acheulian stage of the bifacial handaxe-cum-cleaver industry, comprising tools made on quartzite flakes and cores alike, with a small percentage of pebble tools of doubtfully Sohan technique. The cleavers, rectangular, triangular or trapezoidal in shape, were of single or double Vaal technique. Microliths (pls. III B and IV A), without the typical black-and-red ware, were col- lected from Bara Bedla, Bichri, Garua, Dabok, Mander, Kanpur, Bijana, Mordai and Intali in Udaipur District and from Bari Achnar, Biawar and Deori in Chittorgarh District. They included, apart from fluted cores, parallel-sided and backed blades with triangular or trapezoidal cross-sections, end-scrapers, side-scrapers and notched scrapers and leaf- shaped, triangular and rhomboidal points—of chalcedony, chert, agate or jasper—and larger flakes, cores and lumps, possibly used as casual tools.