Urbanisation at Sannati (c. 300 bc–c. 300 ad): An Early Historic Buddhist Settlement in North Karnataka, India. A Comparative Perspective

Urbanisation has been studied almost from the middle of twentieth century by historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, sociologists and city planners who have interpreted it variously. An urban centre would engage with specific functions particularly with regard to the hinterland. In urbanisation comparatively small settlements and simple communities develop into specialised centres and complex societies. As the process of urbanisation is examined from an archaeological or historical viewpoint, the major parameters frequently applied to situate urbanisation are location and size of settlements, large structures, art, writing and standardised medium of exchange. The issue of urbanisation has been studied in detail with respect to Northern India as compared to Deccan and particularly Karnataka. Sannati (Taluk Chittapur, district Gulbarga) in North Karnataka is the main site of investigation. It is a Maurya-Satavahana settlement with some remains belonging to the megalithic Iron Age. Sannati and the nearby settlements of Kanaganahalli are rich in Buddhist structures, sculptures and other antiquities. The author has made an effort to understand if the early historic material culture showed maturity when compared with the antecedent cultures. How did the external powers, such as Mauryas and the Satavahanas influence local development? Did the socio-political order meet the benchmarks of urbanisation? The author in this study has tried to locate urban contours in North Karnataka, especially at Sannati even when compared with other urban landscapes in northern India and the Deccan.

New insights on the geological evolution of palaeorivers and their relationship to Indus Civilization and Early Historic settlements on the plains of Haryana, NW India

The Quaternary sediments and landscapes of the plains of north-western Haryana and the ancient settlement mounds distributed across them have great potential to reveal the history of the evolution and disappearance of palaeorivers and their relationship to the Indus Civilization and Early Historic periods in northwest India. There are numerous palaeochannels in Haryana, and their distribution and burial in the subsurface creates difficulties for accessing the archives and proxies necessary for developing insight into the timing of river flow and shift, and its relationship to settled populations. This paper investigates the deep and shallow subsurface sedimentary lithology of an area around Sirsa that is close to the course of the modern Ghagghar River. The paper presents additional age constraints provided by dates from the site of Rakhigarhi and examines a sedimentary substrate of a new archeological mound situated on the palaeochannel identified at a mound near Dhir village. New AMS radiocarbon dates of drifted charcoal from natural and cultural strata suggest human activity and/or natural burning in this region as early as 10405 to 10190 cal BP (8455 to 8240 cal BC). The substrate sediments recorded at Dhir mound indicate flooding events after the urban phase of the Indus Civilization.Supplementary material at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5604984

Megalithic Period in North Maidan, Karnataka

The megalithic period in Karnataka is significant as it witnessed technological developments like the beginning of use of iron and fast wheel for the making of pottery as well as socio-economic and institutional developments such as the emergence of an agrarian base, demographic expansion, rudimentary craft specialisation, a developing exchange network and a degree of social differentiation. Many features typical of the megalithic phase continue into the early historic period. In fact, the megalithic and the early historical do not essentially represent two distinct chronological entities and are found overlapping at certain sites. So far, there is no literary evidence for the culture, and there is nothing to suggest that the society was literate—if graffiti on the megalithic pottery do not turn out to be symbols of writing

Middle Neolithic pits and Bronze Age activity at Tinto Sand and Gravel Quarry, Thankerton, South Lanarkshire

An investigation by Headland Archaeology (UK) Ltd took place in late 2002 ahead of the extension of a sand and gravel quarry near Thankerton, South Lanarkshire. Excavations revealed domestic activity dating from the middle Neolithic to the late Bronze Age, with a further phase of activity in the early historic period. Middle Neolithic pits were recorded across the site and contained sherds of Impressed Ware, a polished stone axe and an assemblage of lithics. Following the middle Neolithic there appears to have been a hiatus in activity until the Bronze Age. Several late Bronze Age features were recorded including at least two ring-ditches. The latest feature on site is a bicameral enclosure, with a possible palisade of uncertain date.

Interdisciplinary Analysis of the Lehi Horse: Implications for Early Historic Horse Cultures of the North American West

Although recognized as one of the most significant cultural transformations in North America, the reintroduction of the horse to the continent after AD 1492 has been rarely addressed by archaeological science. A key contributing factor behind this limited study is the apparent absence of equine skeletal remains from early historic archaeological contexts. Here, we present a multidisciplinary analysis of a horse skeleton recovered in Lehi, Utah, originally attributed to the Pleistocene. Reanalysis of stratigraphic context and radiocarbon dating indicates a historic age for this horse (cal AD 1681–1939), linking it with Ute or other Indigenous groups, whereas osteological features demonstrate its use for mounted horseback riding—perhaps with a nonframe saddle. DNA analysis indicates that the animal was a female domestic horse, which was likely cared for as part of a breeding herd despite outliving its usefulness in transport. Finally, sequentially sampled stable carbon, oxygen, and strontium isotope values from tooth enamel (δ13C, δ18O, and 87Sr/86Sr) suggest that the horse was raised locally. These results show the utility of archaeological science as applied to horse remains in understanding Indigenous horse pastoralism, whereas consideration of the broader archaeological record suggests a pattern of misidentification of horse bones from early historic contexts.

Archaeology’s Contribution to History in Recent Times

The article provides an overview of archaeological discoveries that had, by 1963, added to the study of India’s ancient past. The picture was a pan-Indian one and included pre-Harappan deposits at Kalibangan, the ochre-coloured ware culture in the Indo-Gangetic divide, the mud ramparts of chalcolithic Daimabad in Maharashtra and the pit dwellings in neolithic Kashmir. Many early historic cities like Kausambi, Sisupalgarh, Dharanikota and Nagarajunakonda also find a place here.