ASI discovers Chalcolithic age tools in Cuttack village

BHUBANESWAR: The excavation wing of the Archaeological Survey of India's Bhubaneswar branch has discovered bone tools and ceramic assemblage dating back to the Chalcolithic period from Bharatihuda - a mound in Jalalpur village of Cuttack district. The discovery confirms the existence of a rich rural culture - salient to that of the Chalcolithic age - in the valley of the dead river Prachi.
The excavation project aims to throw more light on the cultural continuation of the Chalcolithic period into the early pre-historic era along the coast.

The tools discovered hint at a rural settlement belonging to the Chalcolithic period which was 3,500 to 4,000 years ago. The people who were alive then used to hunt and fish; they also knew agriculture. Along with bone tools and ceramics we also found some rice grains, which is quite interesting and points to the agrarian nature of the people then," said superintending archaeologist D B Garnayak. The samples will be sent for carbon dating to ascertain their exact date, he added.

The ASI team had identified the site in the middle of 2017 and started excavation from January 9, 2018. A 20-member ASI team and more than 50 labourers are currently engaged at the 12 acre excavation site.

"It is a huge site and we hqave divided it into four sections. From the southern part we found things which belong to the Chalcolithic period while the northern part has signs of a cultural continuity till the early pre-historic era. As the site is only 20 km from the coast, we are quite hopeful of discovering the association of these people with the sea," said Garnayak.

Bone harpoons, bone points, semi-finished bone tools, all of which were probably used for hunting and fishing, along with matte-impressed pottery and fine quality black and red wares were found in-situ. Similar items were found in Golabai Sasan in Khurda district in the 1990s.

The excavation at the site will continue till April 2018. "The Prachi river valley is historically important for the state and we also expect the excavation to throw some light on why the valley was abandoned or the reason behind the death of the river," Garnayak said.