Archaeobotany of the Vindhyan Neolithic, Gangetic India, Uttar Pradesh

View of the Belan river looking north from Koldihwa Neolithic site.
Mahagara is visible across the river on the left. View looking north.

This study, in collaboration with Professor J. N. Pal of the Department of Ancient History and Archaeology, University Allahabad, hopes to assess the evidence for early rice cultivation, as well as other crops, from the Mesolithic to Neolithic archaeological sequence provided by the sites of Chopani-Mando, Koldihwa and Mahagara. Although large scale excavations were carried out at these sites by the University of Allahabad in the 1970s, little archaeobotanical evidence was collected as systematic sampling methods were not yet widely practised. Nevertheless limited evidence from these sites argued for local rice domestication perhaps as early as the 6^th millennium BC, although the nature of the archaeobotanical evidence and its dating remain controversial, and date for sometime in the third millennium BC for the transition to the Neolithic and agriculture seems more likely.

 
Dorian Fuller, Professor J.N. Pal (Centre)
and colleagues from Allahabad University.
Cleaned stratigraphic section at Koldihwa

A preliminary season of fieldwork in December 2001 undertake stratigraphic reexamination and systematic sampling of these three sites. Currently the recovered material samples, of both charred plant macro-remains and phytoliths are being studied by Emma Harvey as part of her doctoral research. This research aims to resolve whether or not rice was cultivated and whether or not morphological changes associated with domestication can be detected. The comparability of macro-remains and phytoliths are also being assessed. Already, Emma Harvey’s study of Mahagara phytoliths samples for her MSc thesis in 2002 indicate intesive processing (threshing, winnowing, etc) was carried at the site of Mahagara. We also aim to resolve dating controversies through the application of AMS dating in the near future. Once laboratory analysis is completed, the crops have been identified, individual archaeological seeds including rice remains can be directly dated by AMS technology, which was not available when previous work was done in this region.

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