Paisra- The Stone Age Settlement of Bihar (An Old & Rare Book)

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About the Book The present monograph includes a detailed account of the archaeological excavations carried out by the authors at the stone age settlement of Paisra, district Munger, Bihar, between 1980 and 1988.

Paisra is a unique stone age settlement of the Indian sub-continent in more than one respect. First, the site has preserved unmistakable evidence for habita tional floors of the Acheulians, covering an area of several hundred square metres. Second, associated with the floors were found not only a large number of finished and semi-finished implements, flakes, cores and debitage, but also various hammers, anvils, lumps of raw material and other rock pieces. Third, the excavations have also revealed such remains as several post-holes and stone alignments of Acheulian settlers, which can be logically interpreted as indicat ing the existence of more than one type of structures. Lastly, Paisra had also been a camp-site of Mesolithic settlers in sixth millennium B.C. Incidentally, it re mains the only Mesolithic settlement of the entire eastern India, which has a radio-carbon date.

The excavation were carried out at as many as seven different localities. While the evidence for the Acheulians was noted every where, the remains of the Mesolithic culture were limited to only two localities. All the floors were carefully exposed, and all the evidence of artifact and non-artifact categories were meticulously numbered and recorded on as many as 25 graphs and 37 tables. Since the entire Kharagpur range, in the midst of which Paisra is located, is inhabited by aboriginals who still preserve some traits of hunting-gathering economy and nomadic way of life, attempts were made to carry out a first hand study of their habitational patterns and means of subsistence. Though these and other eth nographic data were extensively used for reconstructing various culture-patterns of the Acheulian and Mesolithic population of Paisra, yet archacological evidence remained the basis of all interpretations. The monograph also contains a brief discussion on paleo-enviornment.

About the Author Dr. P.C. Pant is Professor of Prehistory at the Banaras Hindu University, and has been associated with the teaching and research in Prehistory and other branches of Indian Archaeology for more than three decades. Educated and trained in Archacol ogy at the Banaras Hindu University, the Deccan College Post-graduate and Research Institute, Pune, and the University of Cologne (Germany), Professor Pant has long experience of archacological field work in various parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Besides several research papers, his other noteworthy publi cation is Prehistoric Uttar Pradesh (A study of Old Stone Age).

Dr. Vidula Jayaswal, Reader in Archaeology. Banaras Hindu University is a well-known scholar of Prehistory and Archaeology. As a national scholar ship-holder of the Government of India, she received specialised training in Archaeology and Anthropol ogy at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. Before joining the faculty of B.H.U., she also served. as Deputy Superintending Archaeologist, Ar chaeological Survey of India, between 1977 and 1979.

Dr. Jayaswal carried out noteworthy archaeological field investigations in various parts of southern Utter Pradesh and Bihar, besides successfully completing a painstaking study of pottery and terracotta produc ing centres of the Middle Ganga plains. Author of six books, four in English, viz., Palaeohistory of India, Chopper-Chopping Component of Palacol lithic India, An Ethno-Archaeological View of In dian Terracottas, and Kushana Clay Art of Ganga Plains and two text-books in Hindi, viz., Bharatiya Itihasa Ke Adi Charana Ki Ruprekha (Pura-Prastara Yuga) and Bharatiya Itihara Ka Madhya Prastara Yuga, Dr. Jayaswal has contributed more than forty research papers, which have been published in the proceedings of International and National Symposia and various journals of repute.

Preface Although Stone Age studies started in the Indian sub-continent more than a century ago, most of the researches carried out so far have been limited to loose stratigraphic sequences and broad techno-typological screenings. This is par ticularly true in the case of Palaeolithic archaeology. In fact a researcher does not seem to have many options, since almost all the Palaeolithic sites have been found in secondary contexts. Implements of different phases occur either in cliff sections of the river valleys, or they have been obtained from factory sites mostly located in foot hills. In the case of the former, attempts have also been made to offer simplified interpretations of the paleo-environmental conditions, mostly ignoring the complexities involved in the formations of river sections. In this background the discovery of an Acheulian site in primary context at Paisra was indeed very heartening. In view of the importance of the site it was subjected to extensive excavations between 1984 and 1988. The present monograph is an account of the archaeological field investigations carried out at Paisra during this period.

Paisra is a unique Stone Age site of the Indian sub-continent in the sense that it has preserved evidence for extensive Acheulian habitation, the like of which has not been found anywhere so far. Two types of structural remains occur on the habitational floors which have also yielded a good number of Acheulian artefacts. First, there are post-holes which were obviously meant for thatched shelters of a temporary nature. And second, there is evidence for a number of stone alignments, either straight or somewhat curved, which were presumably placed to hold down covers made of sticks, leaves and grasses. (In the absence of animal remains, it is rather difficult to presume the existence of skin-covers). Unfortunately, the site has not preserved any organic remains, which could throw direct light on the subsis tence patterns of the Acheulians in this part of the world. Nor it is possible to provide any absolute date to the culture. But on techno-typological grounds Paisra appears to represent an advanced Acheulian stage of the Indian sub-continent.

**Contents and Sample Pages**