The Indian Siwalik Hills are globally significant due to their diverse eco-geographic regions full of fossiliferous and implementiferous localities. Although there have been sporadic discoveries of Palaeolithic remains, a considerable portion of the area remains unexplored, including the Seer Khad River Basin (SKRB) in Himachal Pradesh. The present study aimed to explore the archaeological landscape of the SKRB, focusing on fresh data from newly discovered lithic assemblages. The preliminary findings of the present study highlight the variability of the lithic assemblage found under the core and flake lithic traditions, showing numerous technological and typological features that reflect the cognitive level of the prehistoric population. The lithic assemblages in SKRB also reveal that the prehistoric population preferred water sources and locally available quartzite and sandstone as raw materials for stone tool-making, which reflects general Palaeolithic occupational behaviour. Moreover, the study sheds light on post-Siwalik depositions in the study area. The lithic artefacts exhibit different spatial distribution patterns, frequencies, and typo-technological patterns, assumed to originate from a range of chronologies no younger than the Middle Pleistocene. The study also focuses on the local geomorphology, lithology, and drainage network of the basin. The data presented in this paper will aid in further refining regional studies to understand the changing nature of the Siwalik Frontal Range during the post- iwalik period. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the prehistoric population’s behaviour and technological advancements, contributing to a better understanding of the area’s history and evolution.

Keywords: Siwalik Hills, Seer Khad River Basin (SKRB), Geomorphology, Drainage, Lithic artefacts, Typo-technology, Raw material exploitation

The desert of Thar is popular as Great Indian Desert. This is the most populated desert of the world. The hot and dry environment of this desert has never acted as a hostile feature for the travelers and the dynasties. This desert has been attraction for many royal dynasties to come up in this intense desert and set up kingdoms. The desert has served as a natural border for these kingdoms. The desert is devoid of the water sources so the economic orientation was not at all agricultural. The main source of the income for all the dynasties of Thar desert was the tax levied on the routes (rahdari). This desert had a dense network of the trade routes which were used by the travelers, traders, pilgrims and even the raiders. Being on the routes most of the times all the travelers were depending on the local communities for crossing this desert safely. This requirement made them to connect more well with the routes and all the day to day necessities that emerged on the routes led to the building of many structures for the help of the travelers. The routes were thickly populated with the traders and nomads who participated in the business. The most fascinating community who travelled through these desert roads was of the banjaras. The banjaras were the traders and they acted as the transporters to the armies as well. While travelling through routes they made many other day to day exchanges also and formed part of the popular imagination of the desert. Many spiritual journeys and the cultural encounters and cultural exchanges happened in the Indian subcontinent due to their travelling. Even now the traces of the same are visible. The presence of these nomads on the routes and the inability of the John Company to surveillance them has pushed the colonial masters to draft and execute ‘The Criminal Tribes Act 1871’. This paper would like to bring forward the dimensions of the Indian medieval trade in Thar desert and further effort will be made to understand the elimination of the trade routes which were routes of cultural exchange and economic development during the medieval times.

Keywords: Thar, nomads, trade, animals, breeding, pastorals.

In this paper, we present the archaeological findings from the western region of Manipur, specifically the Tamenglong and Noney districts, which are characterised by hilly terrain and are inhabited mainly by the Rongmei, Liangmai, Zeme, Inpui, and some other tribes like Hmars, Thadous, Gangte and Chirus. Fieldwork was conducted during the dry winter seasons of 2021 and 2022. The findings highlight the strong connection between the megaliths and the traditional religious and social practices of “headhunting”. The presence of flat stones for placing decapitated heads and fortified village gates in every Naga village indicates the prevalence of these practices across different tribes. The exploration documents (n=145) megaliths (mostly standing stones and sitting platforms) along with the engravings. Engravings found on the megaliths and the natural rock surfaces encompass symbols, including footprints, counting symbols, animal depictions, human figures, etc. However, many of these megaliths are in poor condition, with weathering and human vandalism contributing to losing their original meanings. The study also proves the preservation of these megalithic localities by educating the local population about their cultural heritage and encouraging community engagement to ensure their protection for future generations.

Keywords: Naga Tribes, Manipur, Megaliths, Petroglyphs, Headhunting, Cultural Heritage

The Ahoms ruled over the Brahmaputra Valley between the 13th century CE and the 19th century CE. During this period, they used various types of swords. Some of these were forged by them, while others were collected as war booty during armed conflict. Talwar was one such sword that the Ahoms collected as war booty during the Ahom-Mughal conflict. However, apart from the name and its acquisition as war booty, there is no other information about it. Hence, to mitigate the knowledge gap, ten Talwar, preserved and displayed in the Assam State Museum in Guwahati, the District Museum in Tezpur, the District Museum in Mangaldoi, and the Ahom-Tai Museum in Sivasagar are documented, and their details furnished. Along with the descriptive study and analysis of Talwar, the paper also provides an overview of the Ahom-Mughal conflict to understand how and in what instances the Ahoms collected Mughal Talwar. Besides that, the issue of whether collected Talwar can be classified as Ahom weapons is also dealt with in the paper. This has helped to bridge the knowledge gap and enhance understanding of Ahom-edged weapons.

Keywords: Ahom, Ahom-Mughal conflict, Brahmaputra valley Documentation, Museum, Talwar

Although cremated bones can provide valuable information on the ancient people’s life, very few anthropological analyses were conducted on the burnt bones from archaeological sites in South Korea. As for the ancient (Pyeongtaek) bones (8th to 6th BCE), we conducted anatomical and histological analyses to estimate the cremation pattern of the Bronze Age in Korea. In this report, we can show that the Bronze Age bones were cremated before burial and different morphological changes occurred in the bones during the cremation, due to varying ranges of the heat that were not acting evenly across the bones. We speculate that cremation technology had not yet reached a high level during the Bronze Age of Korea, which must be further proven by archaeological works in the future.

Keywords: Cremation, Scanning electron microscopy, Histology, Bronze Age, Korea

Water is a vital element of nature and all life on earth and since historical times, human settlements have thrived around it. All sources of water and rivers are considered sacred across cultures. Many pilgrimage traditions involve rituals that include a holy dip and immersion in rivers. In India, temple complexes often feature structures like pu?kari?i, kaly??i, kun?a, sarovara, t?l?ba, and pukhuri, collectively known as temple tanks, which reflect the societal and spiritual significance of water. 

This paper provides a comprehensive examination of stepwells in the Nagpur district along with their architectural details. The study analyzes the structural intricacies of these stepwells, including their organization, orientation, dimensions, ratios of length, width, and depth, along with morphological characteristics. The author aims to highlight the aesthetic and functional appeal of these wells.

The paper proposes a methodical approach to emphasize the importance of preserving these architectural marvels. It’s about their dual role for heritage value or potential as tourist attractions, and even their crucial role in water conservation efforts. The study emphasizes the pressing need to advocate for their protection in contemporary contexts while recognizing the heritage significance of traditional stepwells which will ensure that future generations will appreciate and celebrate these cultural treasures.

Keywords: Bahuli vihirs, Architectural Heritage, Sustainable Water Management, Morphological Characteristics of Stepwells, Community Water Resources, Traditional Water Systems.

Dhenugal (cow-calf stone) was used to show the boundaries of the donated village and land. A cow and calf are carved on this rectangular vertical stone. The cow is the symbol of the king and the calf is the symbol of the subjects. Just as the cow rears the calf, the king rears the subjects. The analysis of Numerous Dhenugal stones has been done to determine the significance of the epigraphical information carved on them. The engraved illustrations on Dhenugal’s required further study and consideration. This paper will attempt to analyze the illustration on the four newly discovered Dhenugal stones in Raigad District.

Keywords: Dhenugal, cow-calf stone, Govatsa Shilpa, Alibag, Raigad, stone steles

Jainism in Vidarbha, especially of the medieval period, has been through a lot of continuity and transformations, in terms of rituals, sacred space, monastic order, and even architecture. The rise of pilgrimage centers, which the people of Vidarbha can fulfill their religious needs from, is yet another important feature. The landscape of the region was well explored and utilized to best suit the requirements for claiming the sacred nature for such t?rthas. Muktagiri, an important t?rthak?etra, mentioned in the lines of Nirv??ak???a, grew on to become a very famous pilgrimage center not just for Vidarbha, but for Jains coming from all parts of the country. The landscape and scenic beauty were very well used to make the best place for religious and spiritual endeavors. This article describes the unique partially rock-cut and partially structural cave temple no. 10 at Muktagiri, which is supposed to be the starting point of architectural activity at this place. Such early experiments at the site were still well-thought- ut and planned before execution, and this has been further substantiated by the description of this cave temple in this article by the present author.

Keywords: Jainism, Cave-temple, partially rock-cut, Muktagiri, pilgrimage, landscape

Visual symbolic material has been reported from the Eastern Vindhyas for a long time (Cockburn 1883, Ghosh 1932, Kenoyer et al. 2015). Much of this is rock art (Pratap and Kumar 2009, Pratap 2016, 2024). This article discusses finds of unreported early Brahmi and early Nagari inscriptions of the early medieval period. These were discovered during rock art-related fieldwork from July 2021 onwards. This extends our earlier findings of unreported inscriptions in Southern Uttar Pradesh (Pratap and Singh, 2020). In this paper, we discuss a boulder inscription in Maukalan Village, in South Chandauli, and a stele inscription stored in the Maukalan Village Museum, established by the Directorate of Archaeology, Uttar Pradesh. We also discuss this little- nown village as an early centre for sculpting, mentioning a Vaikuntha Vishnu statue and an early medieval temple. It is likely this ancient Gond village of Maukalan, existed as a centre for the manufacture of idols, the writing of inscriptions, and other types of stone craft, under the patronage of the nearby fort called Vijaigarh. We also discuss some graffiti at Ahraura (Mirzapur) next to Ashoka’s Minor Rock Edict-I (the Ahraura Version), and two painted inscriptions inside caves at Panchmukhi, in Sonbhadra District, and at Lekhahia Pahar, in Mirzapur. Decipherments and analyses are in a cultural-historical framework. The inscriptions are donative issued by lay people, or itinerant pilgrims and ascetics, while on religious pilgrimage. The spread of Buddhist culture was significant in our study area, due to its proximity to Rajagriha, Sarnath and Kaushambi, Kashi and Mathura.

Four distinctive traditions, viz., Anarta tradition, Micaceous Red Ware tradition, Padri tradition and Pre Prabhas tradition, have been recognized in the modern state of Gujarat. Different scholars have called these cultures local chalcolithic, pre-Harappan and Early Harappan. On the other hand, sites belonging to the Early, Mature and Late Harappan periods in Gujarat are found in Kachchh, North Gujarat, Saurashtra and Southern Gujarat. The regional variation of mature Harappan cultural material in Gujarat has been termed Sorath Harappan (Possehl & Herman 1990). The Prabhas culture is the least studied and understood culture within Gujarat’s protohistoric cultures. The Pre-Prabhas phase coincides with the Early Harappan period, the Prabhas phase coincides with the Sorath Harappan phase and the Late Prabhas with the Late Harappan phase.

This paper deals with the Period II and III ceramics from the excavation of Z.D. Ansari and M.K. Dhavalikar, which has not been published so far.
 

Keywords: Somnath, Prabhas-Patan, Prabhas, Late Prabhas, Dates, Z.D. Ansari, M.K. Dhavalikar

One method of decorating palaces during the Achaemenid period was the use of glazed colored bricks. These glazes encompass a wide range of organic and mineral compounds. This research, conducted in an experimental laboratory, aimed to understand the constituent elements of the glazes on the Persepolis bricks. The main question addressed was which elements are the major determinants of the gray and azure glaze colors on Achaemenid bricks at Persepolis? Among various methods used for mineral identification, XRD analysis was employed to identify materials and determine the phases present, while SEM was utilized to determine the elemental composition. This study focused on the structure and identification of two types of glazes: gray and azure. Samples were physically extracted with a very thin layer of glaze from the sample body. Based on the results obtained, the siliceous and porous nature of the body was confirmed, with iron and magnesium present in the glaze composition, likely part of the primary mix, contributing impurities that affected their coloration. It was also revealed that both gray and azure glazes have an alkaline structure. The findings of this study are crucial for the preservation of ancient artifacts and can guide future research in the field of historical materials.

Keywords: Persepolis, Achaemenid Period, Glazed Bricks, Analysis, XRD method, SEM method.

The investigation of prehistoric lithic industries holds significant importance in comprehending human evolution and technological development. This research paper aims to understand the microlithic industry of the Anuppur region by conducting a comprehensive survey of recently explored sites of the prehistoric period. Our primary objectives revolve around providing a meticulous description of the tools collected during our exploration, Performing statistical analysis of the tool data employing SPSS software, elucidating the regional landscape, and discussing our findings in the context of prior research. Our ultimate goal behind doing this research is to contribute to a deeper knowledge of the microlithic industry of the Anupur region of Central India and its larger relevance within the context of human technological behaviour. Through the systematic analysis of recently explored sites, we could shed light on the intricate details of the microlithic industry, unravelling its complexities and offering valuable insights into the evolution of human societies in this region. By utilising robust statistical methods and exploring the regional landscape, we endeavour to create a comprehensive framework for understanding the multifaceted dimensions of the microlithic industry in Central India.

Keywords: Microliths Industry, Central India, Artefacts, Landscape, Quantitative Analysis, Chaîne opératoire

Ethnoarchaeology plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between the material remains of the past and the lived experiences of past societies. By studying the relationship between modern cultures and their environment, ethnoarchaeology offers invaluable insights into the interpretation of archaeological data. This study focuses on Manujan, Iran, a highland region situated close to Jaz Murian Basin and the Persian Gulf in south Iran. Despite numerous historical cemeteries, evidence of permanent settlements remains elusive, suggesting a historical reliance on nomadism. However, confirmation requires further archaeological investigation alongside studies of modern subsistence practices. Manujan presents a unique opportunity due to its complete cultural sequence and abundant ancient cemeteries.

A 2009 archaeological survey identified 134 sites, offering valuable data. Additionally, research on modern village subsistence patterns provided insights into regional subsistence strategies. This descriptive-analytical study, guided by mediation theory, explores how geography and subsistence practices have shaped the lives of inhabitants from antiquity to the present. The evidence suggests a shift from a pre-Islamic nomadic system characterized by pastoralism with occasional horticulture to a semi-nomadic structure that persists in the Islamic period. However, this structure has undergone significant changes, including the expansion of rural and urban centers, alongside a rise in agriculture, horticulture, and sedentism.

Keywords: Ethnoarchaeology, Manujan, Nomadic, Modern Villages, Ancient Sites, Subsistence.