We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
from III. - South and Southeast Asia
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 August 2014
Continuity from Protohistory to History
There was a seamless transition from late prehistory (or protohistory, as it is called in Indian archaeology) to history in India (for the details of this section, see Chakrabarti 2006: 303–10). In late prehistory itself, the different strands of the Neolithic-Chalcolithic that we traced in Chapter 1.26 for non- and Post-Harappan India slowly acquired the trait of iron-smelting without undergoing any perceptible change in any other material cultural remains. The process lasted basically throughout the 2nd millennium bce. One could say that by c. 1000 bce all the major agricultural regions of India were ready for the transition to the phase of documented history.
The deep-rooted base of agriculture and animal husbandry is not in doubt. At site after site, in the iron-using and earlier levels the excavated wood-charcoals bring to light a vegetation that characterises the Indian landscape today. In the Gangetic Plain, the core area of India’s historic development, the evidence comes mainly from Hulas, Atranjikhera, Sringaverapura and Narhan. The wood-charcoal remains identified in the Harappan and later contexts of Hulas are those of Pipal (Ficus religiosa), Acacia (Babul), Shorea robusta (Sal), Tectona grandis (teak) and a species of bamboo. The ochre-coloured pottery (OCP) level at Atranjikhera shows, in addition to Babul, Sal and teak, Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) and pine (Pinus roxburghii). In the iron-bearing painted grey ware level of Atranjikhera, the material includes chirwood (Pinus roxburghii). Babul, pine, bamboo and Ber (Zyziphus sp.) occur at Sringaverapura (OCP level) together with mango (Mangifera indica) and Mahua (Madhuca indica).
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
