Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies at Nevasa: Is a Key Locality for an Understanding of the Peninsular Quaternary Record

STUDlES AT NEVMA 325

MEMOIRSGEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF INDIA No. 32, PP. 324-332 (1970, 1971), Ansari and Pappu (1975) and Ansari et al. (1976). Arun Kumar's thesis also included a study of the Nevasa material (Kumar 1985). In the late 1980s Mishra re-interpreted archaeological evidence from the site (Mishra 1986) and Mishra et al. (1988) used relative dating methods on the various gravel occurrences at Nevasa. Atkinson et al. (1990), and also Kale (1990) were able to date the calcite cement from one of the localities at Nevasa to >400 kyr ago using Th/U dating. Nevasa therefore, Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies at Nevasa: is a key locality for an understanding of the peninsular Quaternary record. the Last Forty Years Sankalia had identified a flake assemblage from gravels at Nevasa as a Middle Palaeolithic industry which he termed "Nevasian". Banerjee (1957) made a study of SHEILA MISHRA the Nevasian in his Ph.D. thesis. The later work at Chirki by Cofvinus and others cited Department of Archaeology, Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, above showed, however, that the Nevasian did not in fact show Middle Palaeolithic Pune 41 1 006, India characters and that the small tool component of the Acheulian was identical to the Nevasian. Rajaguru and Pappu (1970, 1971) showed that the Acheulian and Nevasian came from the same geological unit. Kumar's thesis, completed in 1985 made a detailed comparison of Nevasa and other sites in the Godavari valley and concluded that no differences existed between the Nevasian and the Acheulian geological con- Abstract texts. These findings led to the conclusion that the AcheuIian at Nevasa was contem- Quaternary deposits and Stone Age artefacts have been studied for over 40 years around porary with the Nevasian and therefore unexpectedly young. The non-typical characters Nevasa, on the Pravara River. These studies show progressive developements in our understanding of the Quaternary of peninsluar India. This work is reviewed and the current understanding of the Quaternary at Nevasa is presented.

Introduction

Nevasa is a small town on the Pravara River, famous as the place where Sant Dyaneswar composed the Dyaneswari. It was in fact this reason which led Dr. H.D. Sankalia to excavate there, and during excavation of the proto-historic and historic mound at Nevasa, to investigate the Quaternary deposits and Stone Age sites in the vicinity. Ultimately, the archaeological site at Nevasa became one of the most thor- oughly studied and published Quaternary sections in India (Fig. 1). Sankalia (1952, 1956, 1964, 1974) and Sankalia et al. (1960) considered Nevasa to be a "type site" for Indian Prehistory and Quaternary studies. It was at Nevasa that Sankalia identified a complete Stone Age sequence in the context of the Pleistocene alluvial deposits of the Pravara. Tripathy (1967) studied the animal fossils from Nevasa and produced a publication on the subject. After Sankalia, Coninus began to work at the Acheulian site of Chirki-Nevasa and to study the Quaternary geology of the Pravara. During the period from 1967 to 1983 Corvinus published 6 articles and 2 monographs on her work at the site (Corvinus-Karve 1967, 1968/9, 1970; Coninus 1971, 1973, 1975, 1981, 1983). Corvinus divided the deposits at Nevasa into the Upper Pravara, the Lower Pravara and the Holocene beds. The Lower Pravara beds contained Early Acheulian artefacts and artefacts considered by Sankalia to be Middle Palaeolithic. The Upper Pravara beds contained Upper Palaeolithic artefacts while the Holocene beds contained Chalcolithic pottery. Corvinus's monographs on the geomorphology and stratigraphy of the Pravara and the archaeology of the Chirki site are the best documented work to date serving as excellent resource material to later workers. Along with Cofiinus, the site of Chirki was excavated and published by Rajaguru and Pappu Fig. 1: Map showing location of Laxmi Nala, Barot Garden and Chikri/Mkri/M~obaNala at Nevasa who is being felicitated in this volume and so I consider it an appropriate tribute to the inspiration and guidance I have had from him throughout my career. Muoba nak .8octlon oppeol1. Chirkl MM

Chlrkl Laxmi Nala High Level Gravel

DIhU The High Level Gravel at Nevasa is described by Corninus at a locality she has .....". called Hathi Well West (Fig. 2 a). It is 1 to 1.5 m thick and rests on deeply weathered ..... ". Mmrllr basalt. It caps a small hillock which forms the highest local relief, about 15 m above rubbk the Pravara river level. This gravel is made up of rounded to sub-rounded siliceous awvd rocks in the cobble and large pebble sizes, and well rounded pebbles of compact basalt. 8nt Both components are weathered. The siliceous rocks have developed a dark glossy .....,...... UUk tluumd OIW &herd hhnL patina while the basalt has a weathering rind 0.2 to 0.4 mm thick, and pitted phe- ynrrutluod bodromk nocrysts of felspars as well as weathering along the joints. Some basalt pebbles can be b . 4 * 1 .axmi Nala Section8 crushed in the hand and all break with a light hammer blow. Chirki rection8 The High Level Gravel at Hathi Well West is pre-Acheulian in age. This was Fig. 2: High level gravel realized by earlier workers also, but as the Acheulian was considered by them to be very young this observation was not emphasised. vith the recent dating of the Acheulian to >0.4 myr at Nevasa itself, a pre-Acheulian sewould suggest at least a pre-early of the Nevasian were interpreted by Allchin et al. (1976) as representative of the Middle Pleistocene date. The High Level Gravgl rests on bedrock weathered to depths cultural lag between the Indian peninsula and West Asia. of approximately 5 m. This weathering post-dates the gravel depostition. The dated Mishra (1986) following her arguments of 1982 (Mishra 1982). which suggested Acheulian gravel at Laxmi Nala rests on almost unweathered bedrock as does the that weathering of basalt had affected the archaeological record, proposed an alterna- Acheulian gravel at Chirki (Fig. 2 c and e). This means that the High Level Gravel tive explanation for the Nevasa evidence. She proposed that the Nevasian was not predates the Acheulian by a long time internal and is therefore almost certainly pre- Middle Palaeolithic at all, but as shown by Corninus, really the light duty component Quaternary in age. of the Acheulian. She suggested that the absence of handaxes in the Nevasian horizons could be ascribed to (i) the differential resistance to weathering of the light duty component made up of basalt and siliceous rocks, (ii) the heavy duty component made Post-High Level Gravel Fluvial Erosion up almost entirely of basalt, as siliceous rocks of large size are rare, and (iii) sorting by fluvial agencies. Corninus' excavations at Chirki Nala and Barot Garden (Corninus 1983) exposed In 1986, a detailed study of the weathering, lithology and rounding parameters bedrock underlying the Acheulian horizons. This bedrock showed clear marks of of the gravels at Nevasa was undertaken. Based on this Mishra et al. (1988) suggested fluvial erosion in the form of flutings and pot holes. The extent of this fluvially eroded that the High Level Gravel at Nevasa was pre-Acheulian in age. The Acheulian at bedrock was established by a number of trenches. Trench III (Corninus 1983: 17), Barot Garden, Lttxmi Nala and Chirki showed the development of a weathering 280 m east of the river, on the margins of the alluvial fill containing Acheulian rind, the pitting of felspars and zeolites, and enrichment of clay and carbonate in the artefacts showed weathered bedrock underlying 1 m of gravel. Trench XVII on the gravel matrix. Fluorinelphosphate ratios from a bone from the Chirki gravel ap- eastern side of Chirki Nala, called Chirki d by Corninus and Masoba Nala by the local proached saturation values. The gravels containing Upper Palaeolithic tools showed people, exposed weathered bedrock below 1.85 m of a partly colluvial deposit (Corninus insignificant weathering and were almost identical to modern gravels in weathering 1983: 28) (Fig. 2 d). All the other trenches exposed fluvially eroded bedrock. The parameters. Since Upper Palaeolithic sites date from 25 kyr to 15 kyr this implies that elevation of the weathered bedrock is 8.65 for Trench XVII and 8.55 for Trench III. the Acheulianaavels are quite a bit older. Since 1988 the Early Acheulian at Nevasa, At Barot Garden also Corninus excavated a series of three trenches in the gravel Singi Talav, Yedurwadi and Hungsi have been dated by the ThoriumAJranium method deposit, on the surface of which Acheulian artefacts were found. In the trench further and in all cases are beyond the range of this dating method which is 0.4 myr (Mishra away from the river she encountered weathered bedrock, while closer to the river the 1992). gravel rested on fluvially eroded bedrock. This level of minimally weathered fluvially Concepts have continued to develop based partly on work elsewhere in western eroded bedrock is about 10 m above the present level of the Pravara River. Some wells Maharashtra and the Narmada valley, and in this paper I would like to present the and the excavation for the foundations of a bridge over the Pravara at Nevasa showed Quaternary geological and archaeological record from Nevasa in the light of current that alluvium extends at least 4 m below the present river level (Corninus 1981). This concepts and evidence. This work was done in close collaboration with Dr. Rajaguru phase of fluvial bedrock erosion is definitely much later than that represented by the High Level Gravel since the bedrock is comparatively unweathered. Late Pleistocene Deposits (Upper Pravara Beds) Pre-Early Middle Pleistocene Deposits (Lower Pravara Beds) at Laxmi Nalaarot Garden

Two localities at Nevasa have exposed deposits which belong to this period. The Both the Acheulian gravels at Laxmi Nala and Barot Garden are overlain by about first is the Laxmi NaldBarot Garden locality (Fig. 2 b and c) and the second the 3 m of calcareous yellow silt with intervening layers of gravel. This unit is of Late ChirkitMasoba Nala locality (Fig. 2 d). At both localities gravels exposed close to the Pleistocene age based on the presence of Upper Palaeolithic artefacts and fluorinel river rest on unweathered bedrock while a few hundred metres away from the river the phosphate ratios of associated animal bones (Mishra et al. 1988). The characters of this gravel rests on weathered bedrock at a higher level. This appears to represent the gravel are similar to those of the Laxmi Nala gravel of the Acheulian period. The transition from a zone of fluvial activity to a zone of predominantly colluvial activity. pebbles are of local origin avd poorly rounded. Transported calcrete nodules are The elevated bedrock away from the river is weathered and the gravel overlying it was abundant. Mud balls are fairly common. However, there is insignificant development reworked from the Tertiary gravels during the Acheulian period. of weathering rinds on the pebbles and there is no enrichment of the matrix with clay and calcrete. Laxrni Nala/Barot Garden Chirki At Laxmi Nala a 5 m thick cross-bedded sandy pebbly gravel is exposed. The contact with bedrock is well exposed in the Nala 1 m above the level of the Pravara. Opposite the site of Chirki a Late Pleistocene gravel is seen directly overlying This bedrock is almost unweathered. The gravel is differentially cemented by calcium the Acheulian gravel which overlies bedrock (Fig. 2 f). This Late Pleistocene gravel carbonate. Some layers are well cemented while others are uncemented. Cement from also contains blade tools of Upper Palaeolithic type. It is overlain by calcareous yellow the lowest well cemented layer was dated to >400 kyr by the Th/U method (Atkinson silt. et al. 1990) contributing the first absolute date for the pre-Late Pleistocene alluvium. The lithology of this gravel is dominated by local arnygdaloidal basalt and poorly rounded transported calcrete nodules. Silica pebbles reworked from the High Level Early Holocene Black Soil Gravel also occur. Mud balls are observed in some of the layers. Artefacts have been found in situ in this gravel on every visit to the site over the last 40 years. They show The Chalcolithic habitational debris at Nevasa can be seen covering a black soil minimal abrasion. These features are indicative of the ephemeral nature of the Pravara horizon developed on the Upper Pravara beds. This means that this soil developed after River during the period of gravel deposition. The compact basalt pebbles in the gravel the Late Pleistocene and prior to the occupation of the site by Chalcolithic farmers have developed weathering rinds of about 0.2 rnm thickness. The matrix of the gravel about 4,000 years ago. This soil was studied in detail by Mujumdar and Rajaguru is enriched with clay and carbonate (Fig. 2 c). (1965) who showed that the modern soils were degraded in comparison to the pre- Weathered bedrock is exposed at a higher level at Barot Garden, at the head of agricultural soil. Laxmi Nala. It is overlain by 1.5 m of reworked High Level Gravel, which contains occasional Acheulian tools. This gravel is overlain by a 1 m thick black fissured clay which is overlain by 3 m of calcareous yellow silt. This black fissured clay is trans- Post-Chalcolithic Soil ported soil material. It is likely that it belongs to the period of reworking of the Tertiary gravel cover during Acheulian times. The habitational mound at Nevasa was abandoned at the end of the Chalcolithic period (1200 B.C.) and re-occupied during the Early Historical Period (500 B.C.). During this period an immature black soil developed on the habitational deposits. ChirkiiWasoba Nala

-h The Chirki Nala is on the right bank of the Pravara some 4 km downstream of Post-Black Soil Formation the Laxrni Nala locality (Fig. 2 d). It was here that Corvinus and others excavated to locate the original horizon of the Acheulian tools found abundantly in the Nala. A low, inset terrace post-dating the Early Holocene black soil development has Corvinus was able to expose a rubble deposit overlying fluvially eroded and minimally been called the Post-Black Soil Rmnation. This Formation is common on all the rivers weathered bedrock a few metres above the present Pravara level. The rubble grades into of western Maharashtra. Corvinus reports the presence of Chalcolithic pottery in this a sandy pebbly gravel similar in character to the Laxmi Nala gravel. At the head of Formation which would suggest that this minor aggradational episode is post-Chalcolithic one of the branches of the Nala (Chirki d), Acheulian artefacts where recovered in a in age. highly weathered colluvial deposit with a component of reworked Tertiary gravels - overlying weathered bedrock. This appears to represent the same sequence as that of Laxmi Nala/Barot Garden. 331 mmT06UC AND QUAmXNARY STUDIES AT NEVASA

Methodology Summary of Important Results from the Work at Nevasa Sankalia was the first to introduce the study of Stone Age archaeological evidence Quaternary Stratigraphy in the context of Quaternary environments and stratigraphy in the Subcontinent. Corvinus and others excavated the Quaternary deposits to understand the context and stratigra- First Sankalia, and then Corvinus made the most important contributions to the phy of the archaeological finds. They also placed this evidence in a regional stratig- Quaternary at Nevasa in the Pravara valley. Cowinus' sub-division into Holocene beds, raphy. Mishra and others introduced the methodology of relative dating to build up Upper Pravara and Lower Pravara beds and High Level Gravel is still valid today. Quaternary stratigraphy using weathering, archaeology and fluorinelphosphate ratios However, recent absolute dating of the Lower Pravara beds and accumulating evidence of animal bones. Kale and others were able to make a new beginning by the absolute for the antiquity of the Early Acheulian in India make the gap between the Upper and dating of the deposits. Lower Pravara beds much greater than realized earlier. At present, Holocene, Late Pleistocene and pre-Late Pleistocene units can be identified at most of the localities studied for the Quaternary all over peninsular India. It is now possible in most cases Conclusion to correlate Holocene and Late Pleistocene units between localities. However, the pre- Late Pleistocene units often definitely cannot be correlated between localities and The site of Nevasa truly deserves to be designated as it was by Sankalia as a "type usually there is little evidence to decide the issue one way or the other. site" for Quaternary studies. The tradition of interdisciplinary work at the site over the last 40 years has yielded a series of breakthroughs in our understanding of Quaternary stratigraphy, climate, fluvial processes and man's adaptation to changing Geomorphic Processes palaeoenvironments over a long period of A00 kyr. This process is in no way complete and we hope to make further progress in our knowledge using the accumulated con* The implications of the evidence at Nevasa is that bedrock weathering has not tributions of many researchers in the field. occurred during the Quaternary period. This is seen in the absence of weathering in bedrock underlying gravels of the Early Acheulian period. In some cases Acheulian artefacts are incorporated in reworked/colluvial deposits, and these do overlie weathered bedrock. The presence of such deposits close to the present river channels empha- References sizes the ineffectiveness of fluvial processes during the Quaternary. This is also seen Allchin, B., A. Goudie and K.T. M. 'Hegde 1976. Prehistory and Palaeogeography of the Great Indian in the typical features of the Quaternary gravels of all periods which are not subject Desert. London: Academic Press. to long distance transport. Weathering of. the Quaternary gravels is a fairly slow Ansari, Z.D. and R.S. Pappu 1975. Some Observations on the Excavation at Chirki Nevasa, Bulletin of the process. Both the slow rate of weathering and the ephemeral fluvial processes are due Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute 35: 1-8. Ansari, Z.D. and M.L.K. Murty and R.S. Pappu 1976. The Acheulian Horizon at Chirki-Nevasa and its to the fact that the climate has been fairly arid throughout the Quaternary. Chronological Implications, Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute 36: 8-14. Atkinson, T.C., P.J. Rowe, N.J. Powar and V.S. Kale 1990 (Manuscript). Report Submitted to the Natural Environmental Research Council (U.K.). Age and Genesis of Black Soils Banerjee, K.D. 1957. Middle Palaeolithic Industries of the Deccan. Ph.D. Dissertation. Pune: University of Poona. Corvinus-Karve, G. 1967. An Acheulian Occupation Floor at Chirki on Pravara, India, Current Anthropology Soils developed on alluvium and habitational deposits were exposed in the exca- 9: 216-218. vation of the habitational mound at Nevasa. This evidence documents the process of Cowinus-Karve, G. 196819. Stratigraphy and Geological Background of an Acheulian Site Chirki on Pravara, black soil formation during the Quaternary. The degradation of the soils during the last India, Anthropos 6314: 921-40. CON~~US-K~~N~,G. 1970. The Acheulian Workshop at Chirki on the Pravara River, Indian Antiquary 4: 13- 4,000 years of agricultural use of these soils is also documented. The black fissured 22. clay from Barot Garden shows that black soils were also present earlier and were Cowinus, G. 1971. 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