Indian History

Sample material
ANCIENT
INDIA
HISTORY
NEOLITHIC AND CHALCOLITHIC SITES
BY
SIVAPRASAD YADAV KOYYA
Sivaprasad yadav koyya
 NEOLITHIC CULTURES

Culture period
• AHAR 2800-1500 BC
• KAYATHA 2450-1700 BC
• MALWA 1900-1400 BC
• SAVALDA 2300-2000 BC
• JORWE 1500-900 BC
• PRABHAS 2000-1400 BC
• RANGPUR 1700-1400 BC

Sivaprasad yadav koyya

 • Sturdy red slipped ware painted with designs in
chocolate color, a red painted buff ware bearing
increased patterns.- KAYAHTA
• Black and red ware decorated with white
designs- AHAR
• Coarse in fabric but has thick buff surface over
which designs are made either in red or black-
MALWA
• Lustrous red ware- PRABHAS & RANGPUR
• Matt surface treated with a wash and it is also
black on red-JORWE

Sivaprasad yadav koyya

NEOLITHIC
SITES
• QUETTA valley
• Valley of LORALAI
• ZOB River
• KILE GUL MOHAMMAD
• GUMLA
• RANA GUNDAI
• ANJIRA
• MUNDIGAK
• MEHRGAHR

Sivaprasad yadav koyya

 In south India

• KODEKAL, UTNUR,
NAGARUJUNAKONDA and
PALAVOY in Andhra Pradesh
• TEKKALKOLTA,MASKI,
T.NARSIPUR,
SANGAKALLUR,HALLUR and
BRAHMAGIRI in
KARNATAKA
• PAIYYAMPALLI in
TAMILNADU
• All the above are related to
Neolithic sites in ancient India.

Sivaprasad yadav koyya

 • GUFKRAL and BURZAHOM in KASHMIR
• MAHGARA, CHOPANI MANDO and
KOLDIHWA in BELAN valley in UTTAR
PRADESH
• CHIRAND in BIHAR
• Actually all the above sites are NEOLITHIC
sites

Sivaprasad yadav koyya

 • Evidence for oldest evidence of rice is from
KOLDIHWA
• The main feature of chalcolithic culture is painted
grey ware particularly ref painted grey ware.
• The occurrence of shell bangles and pendants made
of mother of pearl indicates long distance trade.
• In MAHGARA there is an evidence for cattle pen.
• Neolithic stone axes have been found in COCHAR,
GARO and NAGA hills.

Sivaprasad yadav koyya

 • SARUTARU is a place near GAUHATI
• Most of the chalcolithic cultures established in semi-arid
regions.
• Chalcolithic settlements were majorly found in RAJASHTAN,
MP, GUJARAT and MAHARASHTRA.
• KAYATHA is the only culture located in CHAMBAL and its
tributaries.
• Stone, mud and mud-bricks were used for the construction of
houses and other structures in chalcolithic culture.

Sivaprasad yadav koyya

 • Some chalcolithic cultures are very small in size at
the same time some are very huge in expansion like
AHAR, GILUND and BALATHAL.
• People of MALWA culture settled mostly on the
banks of NARMADA River.
• NAVDOTI, ERAN and NAGADA are three best
known settlements of MALWA culture.
• NAVDOTI is one of the largest settlements in
CHALCOLIHITC cultures in India
• Some of the chalcolithic sites were fortified and even
NAGADA has bastion of mud bricks.

Sivaprasad yadav koyya

 • ERAN had a fortification wall with a moat.
• The RANGAPUR culture sites are known mostly on the banks of GHELO and KHALOBAR
rivers in GUJARAT
• Among all chalcolithic cultures JORWE has more number of settlements, more than 200.
• Maharashtra, PRAKASH, DAIMABAD and INAMGAON are best known places of JORWE
CULTURE.
• The largest of JORWE culture is DAIMABAD, measures more than 20 hectares.
• Chalcolithic people cultivated both KHARIF and RABI crops

Sivaprasad yadav koyya

 • Chalcolithic people have constructed
both rectangular and circular houses and
floors are made of rammed clay and roofs
are thatched with bamboo and grass.
• They know crop rotation
• Wheat and barley were grown in
MALWA.
• Rice is supposed to be grown in
INAMGAON and AHAR.

Sivaprasad yadav koyya

 • Along with wheat and barley they also cultivated KULTH, RAGI,
GREEN PEAS, LENTIL, GREEN and BLACK grams.
• Almost all chalcolithic settlements were flourished in black cotton soil
zone.
• Dry farming is practices in chalcolithic cultures.
• AHAR people settled near copper source and may be supplied it to
MALWA and GUJARAT.
• The copper axes found at MALWA, JORWE and PRABHAS are made at
the same place and may be by the same people also.
• Conch shell for bangles was traded from the SAURASHTRA coast to
various other parts of chalcolithic sites.

Sivaprasad yadav koyya

 • Gold and ivory came from TEKKALKOTA in
KARNATAKA to JORWE people who in
turn traded it with their contemporaries.
• Semiprecious stones may have been traded
to various parts from RAJPIPALA of
GUJARAT.
• In chalcolithic period BULLOCK carts were
used for long distance trade besides river
transport.

Sivaprasad yadav koyya

 • The bull cult seems to have been predominant in
MALWA region during the AHAR period.
• Stylized and naturalistic LINGAS are found at many
chalcolithic sites.
• A pot on which mother goddess depicted along with
women on side and a crocodile on the other side and
beside there is a shrine is found at site of MALWA
culture.
• SRIVASTA resembles the goddess LAKSHMI
• Gold ornaments were extremely rare and were only
found in JORWE culture.
• The first copper harpoon was found in BITHUR in
KANPUR district in 1882

Sivaprasad yadav koyya

 • The largest hoard of copper was found in
GUNGERIA in MP
• ALLOYS are noticed in chalcolithic culture.
• Copper sources are KHETRI MINES and
ALMORA in UTTARAKHAND
• The most interesting fact is that, the JORWE
people even traded POTTERY to distant places
which is suggested by the remains of INAMGAON
(JORWE Culture) has been found at distant places.
• The above statement is similar to export of
Northern Black Polished Ware being exported
from the plain GANGETIC to far off regions in the
early historic period.

Sivaprasad yadav koyya