Publications
Archaeology of the Ganga Plain: Cultural-Historical Dimensions
By Purushottam Singh
The last thee decades have witnessed a phenomenal increase
in research activity in the archeology of Ganga Plain. This
time-span has also witnessed greater participation of natural
scientist like geologists, geomorphologists, human biologists,
palaeozoologists and archaeobotanists in understanding archaeological
problems. The discovery of Mesolithic culture in the alluvial
plain of the Ganga going back to 10,000 BC constitutes a distinct
contribution to our knowledge.
Excavations carried out at a number of sites in the mid-Ganga
Valley has shown that the Mesolithic people who often inhabited
readily available rock-shelters in the Vidhyas, now lived
in huts made of trees, branches and leaves.
The subsequent transition from the nomadic to the settled
life which began sometime in the seventh millennium BC in
the Ganga Valley was largely the result of an economic revolution
based on the cultivation of certain food plants like wheat,
barley and rice and the domestication of animals like cattle,
sheep, goat, pig and buffalo. Further, the introduction of
copper in about 3000 BC witnessed a spurt in activities in
every walk of life and significant increase n the number and
size of settlements. This has been amply demonstrated in the
excavation of more than three dozen Chalcolithic sites in
different parts of the Ganga Valley. The present book takes
a synoptic look of all these discoveries and discusses their
ramifications.
2010 Rs.1500.00
ISBN No-978-81-7305-392-4
