The Published Archaeobotanical Data from the Indus Civilisation, South Asia, c.3200–1500BC (original) (raw)
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This paper presents a preliminary study combining macrobotanical and phytolith analyses to explore crop processing at archaeological sites in Haryana and Rajasthan, northwest India. Current understanding of the agricultural strategies in use by populations associated with South Asia's Indus Civilisation (3200-1900 BC) has been derived from a small number of systematic macrobotanical studies focusing on a small number of sites, with little use of multi-proxy analysis. In this study both phytolith and macrobotanical analyses are used to explore the organisation of crop processing at five small Indus settlements with a view to understanding the impact of urban development and decline on village agriculture. The differing preservation potential of the two proxies has allowed for greater insights into the different stages of processing represented at these sites: with macrobotanical remains allowing for more species-level specific analysis, though due to poor chaff presentation the early stages of processing were missed; however these early stages of processing were evident in the less highly resolved but better preserved phytolith remains. The combined analyses suggests that crop processing aims and organisation differed according to the season of cereal growth, contrary to current models of Indus Civilisation labour organisation that suggest change over time. The study shows that the agricultural strategies of these frequently overlooked smaller sites question the simplistic models that have traditionally been assumed for the time period, and that both multi-proxy analysis and rural settlements are deserving of further exploration.
This paper presents a preliminary study combining macrobotanical and phytolith analyses to explore crop processing at archaeological sites in Haryana and Rajasthan, northwest India. Current understanding of the agricultural strategies in use by populations associated with South Asia's Indus Civilisation (3200–1900 BC) has been derived from a small number of systematic macrobotanical studies focusing on a small number of sites, with little use of multi-proxy analysis. In this study both phytolith and macrobotanical analyses are used to explore the organisation of crop processing at five small Indus settlements with a view to understanding the impact of urban development and decline on village agriculture. The differing preservation potential of the two proxies has allowed for greater insights into the different stages of processing represented at these sites: with macrobotanical remains allowing for more species-level specific analysis, though due to poor chaff presentation the early stages of processing were missed; however these early stages of processing were evident in the less highly resolved but better preserved phytolith remains. The combined analyses suggests that crop processing aims and organisation differed according to the season of cereal growth, contrary to current models of Indus Civilisation labour organisation that suggest change over time. The study shows that the agricultural strategies of these frequently overlooked smaller sites question the simplistic models that have traditionally been assumed for the time period, and that both multi-proxy analysis and rural settlements are deserving of further exploration.
Lithic tools are generally considered ́s econdary artefactś when it comes to the Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Harappan Civilisation. However, they were utilized for an array of different functions and formed part of day-today life of people. Until now, scholars have worked exhaustively to understand the technology behind manufacturing these tools, raw material acquisition patterns and their typological distributions throughout the IVC and beyond. Analyses on the functional aspects of these tools are, unfortunately, still lacking. This study aims to understand the function of lithic tools related with plant use by using phytolith analysis. Stone tools were collected from the sites of Bhando Qubo and Taloor Jee Bhitt, situated in Sindh, Pakistan, which have been recently excavated and are culturally affiliated with the Mature Harappan period (c. 2600-1900 BCE). The residues extracted from the tool edges show the presence of plant remains belonging mostly to grass leaves and stems, suggesting that they were used for cutting grasses, some possibly for harvesting winter cereals or millets. The striking differences observed in the phytolith assemblages from the two studied sites suggest differences in either the use of the analysed tools or in the underlining agricultural practices. This study is a first of its kind in South Asia and shows the potential of phytolith analysis to explore the use of lithic tools throughout the IVC.
Indian Journal of Archaeology, 2021
This paper reviews the archaeo-botanical remains from the 2008 excavations at Alamgirpur (29 o 00.206'N; 77 o 29.057'E), which were carried out by Banaras Hindu University. Alamgirpur is the eastern most settlement of the Indus Civilisation thus far excavated, and represents an important site in relation to understanding how the Indus interacted with populations in the Yamuna-Ganges doab, and as a site that has later period occupation, how the transition between the Indus period and Painted Grey Ware (PGW) period occurred in this region. A preliminary report on the archaeobotanical remains have been published previously 1 , and there has been detailed analysis of charcoal and phytolith remains explored in relation to fuel resources 2. The macrobotanical remains Cereal Grains and Grain Pulses: reassessing the archaeo-botany of the Indus Civilisation and Painted Grey Ware period occupation at Alamgirpur 496 have not been systematically reported, however, and the previous discussions have presented a partial taxa list from only a selection of the contexts that were sampled and the data were compiled by a number of analysts 3. This approach resulted in the disaggregation of the sample assemblage, and this paper brings together the samples and the results of the various analyses to outline a systematic review of the datasets to present a more comprehensive analysis of the Harappan and PGW assemblages from the site. 2. Location and Archaeology at Alamgirpur The archaeological site of Alamgirpur is situated in the modern Meerut District of Uttar Pradesh, India (Fig. 01), about 3km to the east of the present course, but on the edge of the palaeo-channel of the Hindon River, which is a tributary of the Yamuna River 4. Known locally as Parasuram-ka-Khera, the mound sits on a consolidated sand dune that rises approximately 1.5 m above the surrounding flood plain. What remains of the archaeological mound measure roughly 60m eastwest and 50m north-south, rising to a maximum height of 6m above the surrounding plain. The natural landscape around the site has been heavily modified for sugar cane and wheat agriculture, and the site is currently topped with a small shrine and primarily used for the storage of dung fuel. Alamgirpur was first excavated in 1958 by Regional Camp Committee of Bharat Sewak Samaj 5 , and more extensive excavations were undertaken by Sharma in 1959 6 who confirmed the Indus Civilisation affiliation of the site through ceramic typologies. Sharma 7 suggested a four-fold cultural sequence, with breaks between each period. However this chronology, particularly the cultural breaks between periods and the relative nature of the dating, was highly debated. In 2008, researchers from Banaras Hindu University undertook new excavations at the site. The excavations involved members of the Land, Water, Settlement project (LWS), which is a collaborative endeavour lead by Banaras Hindu University and the University of Cambridge, that also included collaborators from a range of other academic institutions and authorities, including Deccan College, Pune, and the Birbal Sahni Institute, Lucknow. These renewed excavations aimed to confirm the cultural sequence, provide absolute dates, collect material for faunal, botanical and palynological analyses, and explore human-climate interactions 8 .
Neolithic to Early historic (2500-200 BC) plant use: The archaeobotany of Ganga Plain, India
We present archaeobotanical data based on plant macroremains obtained from three archaeological sites in the Ganga Plain. The paper provides insight into a range of taxa exploited by early inhabitants of different cultural occupations spanning from about beginning of 3rd millennium BC to 2nd century BC and also for the change in plant use over time. The evidence denotes a highly developed state of arable agriculture, which requires foresightedness and planning. The principal cultivated cereals were Oryza sativa, Hordeum vulgare, Triticum aestivum/durum, Triticum sphaerococcum followed by few African (Eleusine coracana, Sorghum bicolor) and indigenous (Paspalum scrobiculatum, Panicum sp.) millets. While there is continuity in the agricultural pattern in time and space however, certain changes do seem in diversification of plant use during Iron Age. The record of Sesamum indicum, Brassica juncea, Carthamus tinctorius, Linum usitatissimum, Gossypium arboreum/herbaceum and Cannabis sativa emphasize the importance of oeliferous crops and textile production. Finds of Vitis vinifera, Vigna unguiculata, Luffa cylindrica, Allium cepa, Nigella sativa, Murraya koenighii and Ziziphus mauritiana along with Phoenix sp., Terminalia chebula, Terminalia bellerica, Emblica officinalis, and Crataeva sp., suggest horticultural practices and highly advanced medicinal system was in vogue during 1st millennium BC. Among the weeds and wild taxa, some are from cultivated field, moist places, ditches and some from fallow land.
Phytolith Analysis and the Indus Civilisation: a review
This paper presents a review of the application of phytolith analysis to the archaeology of the Indus Civilisation (c. 4000-1300 BCE) of South Asia. Phytoliths are microscopic silica casts of plant cells formed during the life of the plant through the uptake of monosilicic acid from groundwater. The phytolith studies that have thus far been carried out on Indus settlement sites are reviewed, and the range of issues to which phytolith analysis has been applied to Indus archaeology are also outlined here. This paper argues that phytolith analysis holds great potential for gaining alternative views on age-old archaeological questions relating to the Indus Civilisation. It concludes that although understudied at the moment, there is much to be gained by employing phytolith analysis systematically during archaeological studies in this region and time period.
The lower Paleolithic of the Indian subcontinent
Evolutionary Anthropology, 2009
This broad overview highlights the Indian subcontinent as an important and exciting source of new discoveries regarding Lower Paleolithic hominins and their biological and behavioral evolution. Broadly situated in the center of the Old World, the region arbitrarily encompasses Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Bhutan; it represents the richest easternmost domain of classic Acheulean bifaces in the Old World.1 The region comprises diverse ecological zones with complex geological and climatic histories, including a bi-annual monsoon prevalent since the Miocene, all of which had major impacts on faunal and floral distributions and associated hominin adaptations.
Plant macro-remains from Neolithic Jhusi in Ganga Plain: evidence for grain-based agriculture
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The results of the study of archaeobotanical samples from Neolithic site, Jhusi, at the confluence of Yamuna and Ganga rivers in Allahabad, UP, are presented here and discussed in the light of information on prehistoric plants of subsistence in Ganga Plain during 7th millennium BC-2nd century BC. The study indicates that the likely staples were cereals (Oryza sativa, Hordeum vulgare, Triticum aestivum and Triticum sphaerococcum), pulses (Lens culinaris, Pisum arvense, Vigna radiata, Lathyrus sativus and Macrotyloma uniflorum) and two oil-yielding (Linum usitatissimum and Sesamum indicum) crops. In addition, there is evidence for viticulture or horticulture (Vitis vinifera).