Settlement Archaeology of Balathal and Gilund with Special Reference to Architecture and Site Planning (original) (raw)
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Heritage Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology , 2020
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Cogent Arts & Humanities, 2021
Bandiyagarh fort is located in Sirohi district of Rajasthan state in India. This research paper is based on new findings in our previously discovered site Bandiyagarh. The discovered structures played an important role in rewriting the history of the Parmar dynasty because Bandiyagarh is approximately 10 km away from the ruins of the capital city site, Chandravati of the royal Parmar dynasty (910 to 1312 AD.). This area was part of the ancient Silk-route trade due to which Sirohi was rich in wealth, resulting in several plunder attacks by invaders and hostile kingdoms. The fort is built on top of a plateau flanked by a chain of mountains and protected by a stronghold fortification wall. Bandiyagarh fort was difficult to capture because, according to the analysis of the geographical obstructions, that fort was surrounded by steep ascents in hills, natural obstruction by water-streams, and the dense forest. Moreover, this forest is also associated with aggressive ethnic societies of Bhils and Garasia. This mysterious fortification is very large in area but has not yet been discovered because of its strategic location. So the reason behind building this fortified city or fortress is for the purpose of camouflage because a military strategy has been observed behind building this fort city in an isolated place. Inside the premises, we found water bodies, temples, structural complex, inscriptions, watchtower and various unidentified structural remains. The cultural remains of the Priyank Talesara ABOUT THE AUTHORS Priyank Talesara is a Doctoral Student in the Department of AIHC&A, Madhav University. He had completed dual Master's in Business Administration and Ancient History from SHAITS, Allahabad, and then he went on to get a PG diploma in Archaeology from Sahitya Sansthan, Udaipur. His is currently also serving as the fellow assistant professor with liabilities of joint museum curator at Madhav University. Aniruddh Bahuguna is a research scholar of geography and temple architecture. He had just completed his M.Phil in Archaeology with the study of The Architecture of the Almora Temples, to continue this activity he opted PhD course with the same department of AIHC&A, APS University. Chintan Thakar is a Doctoral Student in the Department of AIHC&A, Madhav University. He had completed Masters in Ancient History from SHAITS, Allahabad, and then he went on to get PG diploma in Archaeology from Sahitya Sansthan, Udaipur. His is currently also serving as the fellow assistant professor with liabilities of joint museum curator at Madhav University.
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2007
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Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies, 2023
This research embarks on an archaeological investigation of the sixty-eight fresh documented unexcavated Neolithic and Megalithic sites scattered throughout Kashmir Valley, India. Focused on three key aspects - landscape, settlement patterns, and material culture, the study aims to unveil the hidden historical treasures of this region. By employing advanced archaeological techniques and methodologies, the research seeks to shed light on the enigmatic past of Neolithic and Megalithic cultures that once thrived in this diverse geographical area. Through the analysis of artifacts, and geographical data, the study endeavours to reconstruct the ancient lifestyle, social and technological dynamics, and cultural exchanges that shaped the valley as a significant cultural crossroads between South and Central Asia. The findings of this investigation have the potential to deepen our understanding of the historical interconnections from prehistoric times of the region and contribute to the broader knowledge of human history and cultural evolution in the Indian subcontinent. In essence, this study analyses the archaeological material culture related to the designation of locations as human habitations during Neolithic and Megalithic cultures, their distribution over the Kashmir Valley topography, and the contextualisation of this knowledge within Kashmir and neighbouring archaeology. The main goal of the current study is to offer first-hand information of the sites reported during the new survey to get a general understanding of site types and to document their physical characteristics based on the comparison of material culture. This study has tried to use the knowledge to gain a deeper understanding of how people settled in the Valley throughout history, with particular reference to the Neolithic and Megalithic Periods. Only three out of sixty-eight Neolithic sites are excavated, and this study is a comparative analysis of the material culture, Landscape and Settlement pattern documented from these unexplored and unexcavated Neolithic sites across the Valley of Kashmir.
This paper deals with pottery assemblages from the chalcolithic sites of Balathal and Gilund of the Ahar Culture of southeast Rajasthan. The author tries to build up ceramic chronologies for each of these individual sites in order to identify different phases in the chalcolithic period and ascertain layers to these phases. It is done to evaluate whether pottery assemblage do give us much information on history and society of Ahar people. It further integrates data from these two major excavated sites and attempts to provide certain developmental trends and characteristics of chalcolithic pottery of the specific prehistoric "culture region", once the type site (Ahar) has been established and culture region has been defined (Ahar/Banas/Mewar/southeast Rajasthan).