Prehistoric Uttar Pradesh (A Study of Old Stone Age) (An Old and Rare Book)

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The present monograph Prehistoric Uttar Pradesh by Dr. P.C. Pant makes a detailed study of the Old Stone Age sites and Industries of the Province. Although Uttar Pradesh has been known for its palaeolithic remains for almost a century now, it is for the first time an attempt has been made towards a scientific assessment of the vast material from various Stone Age sites, in an all-India and world perspective. Since the author has been himself engaged in the field investigations of different prehistoric sites of Uttar Pradesh for the last two decades, the book embodies, to a large extent, his own field observations.

Besides dealing with the Quaternary stratigraphy of Southern Uttar Pradesh and a very comprehensive screening of the Palaeolithic cultural remains, the book discusses in detail for the first time the pebble-tool cultures of the Hamirpur and Jhansi districts, and the Denticulate Mousterian industries of the Levallois facies. Moreover, it also contains a detailed account of the Upper Palaeolithic of Uttar Pradesh, including the evidence from the famous Belan section and the nearby rock shelters. Such a comprehensive analysis of the Stone Age tool-kits of Uttar Pradesh has never been attemp ted before.

P. C. PANT (b. 1937) is Reader in Prehistory in the Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture & Archaeology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. Armed with his M.A. and Ph.D. of the B.H.U., Dr Pant bagged. a fellowship to study Palaeolithic Archaeology at the Institute fur Ur-und Fruhgeschichte, University of Cologne, West Germany (1965-67). He had a rare opportunity to study Prehistory, Quarternary geology, Palynology, Soil analysis, Palaeontology, etc., under experts of international repute. Besides examining a large number of Stone Age collections of the famous European sites like La Micoque, Buhlen, Bocksteinschmiede and the West Asian site of Jabrud, etc., he also participated in several excavations of important prehistoric sites, such as Rohrshain, Buhlen, Inden, etc. in the continent.

Apart from being a teacher of some distinction at the Banaras Hindu University for more than two decades. Dr. Pant has been actively engaged in the field research in archaeology since 1960. He has already published more than two dozens research papers in various Journals of repute.

The present monograph, the first in the proposed series entitled Prehistoric Uttar Pradesh, is an attempt to describe and discuss the palaeolithic industries of the province. It is in fact a modified version of my Ph.D. dissertation-Palaeolithic Industries of Southern Uttar Pradesh, submitted to the Banaras Hindu University.

Uttar Pradesh is one of the biggest provinces of India with at least three clearly defined geographical and geological zones, viz., the Himalayan ranges in the north, the vast Gangetic plain in the middle, and the hilly tract of the Kaimur and the Vindhyan ranges in the south. However, in spite of the intensive investigations made from time to time in the province since the later half of the nineteenth century, the prehistoric remains of the Stone Age have yet to be traced in the Himalayas, and, almost all the industries, which have been brought to light so far, come from the southern hilly tract. No doubt, during the last one decade or so, some Stone Age cultures have been traced also in the Gangetic plains, but none of them seems to belong to the Palaeolithic Period. Thus, the Old Stone Age archaeology of Uttar Pradesh is in fact the history of the palaeolithic cultures of the southern hilly regions. This monograph evidently discusses these very industries, and no attempt has been made to throw light on even the geological and geographical features of either the Himalayas or the Gangetic alluvium of the province.

Uttar Pradesh was put in the palaeolithic map of India by Mr. J. Cockburn in the later half of the nineteenth century, when he discovered a lithic industry in the Singrauli basin in Mirzapur district. The area was re-examined by a team led by late Prof F.E. Zeuner in 1949, heralding a new era of palaeolithic research in this part of the sub-continent. In subsequent years, besides the Prehistory Branch of the Archaeological Survey of India and the Deccan College, Pune, the Allahabad University under Prof. G.R. Sharma and the Banaras Hindu University, represented by this author, conducted extensive explorations in Mirzapur, Allahabad, Banda, Hamirpur, Jhansi and Lalitpur districts, and brought to light a very large number of Stone Age sites, including the famous Acheulian locality of Lalitpur, the rich pebble tools factory site of Lahchura, and the remarkably well-preserved Quaternary deposits on the Belan.

This chapter is intended to serve as a background to the principal subject of our study the description and discussion of the various palaeolithic industries of Uttar Pradesh. It is divided into three parts, which deal respectively with the geographical and geological features of the region, a brief history of the palaeolithic research in Uttar Pradesh, and the methodology and terminology adopted in the monograph.

Although Uttar Pradesh has been known for yielding palaeolithic remains for a century now, all the sites discovered so far are located in the region lying south of the Yamuna and the Ganga, and streching over whole or parts of Varanasi, Mirzapur, Allahabad, Banda. Hamirpur, Jhansi and Lalitpur districts (Map 1). It is true that no organised efforts have been made as yet to trace the Stone Age remains in other parts of the province, particularly the Himalayas and their foot-hills, where one can justifiably expect to find such localties. But, the sporadic explorations, undertaken from time to time by different individuals, have hardly proved fruitful so far. This author himself surveyed the areas along the Kosi, near Ramnagar and Kathgodam. and the Sharda, near Tanakpur in Nainital district. Though he noticed important river sections, characterized by various Quaternary deposits, yet he unhesitatingly admits that he failed to find any genuine prehistoric artefact. Recently, K.P. Nautiyal claimed to have found some palaeoliths of the chopper chopping-tool tradition in the terraces of the Alakhnanda, near Srinagar, Garhwal. However, in the absence of actual specimens, most of the scholars were rather sceptical to accept them as arte facts. The prehistoric industries, located in parts of the Gangetic plain during the seventies, are primarily microlithic in character. Whether some of them may also be assigned to the Palaeolithic period is to be determined only by future intensive researches. Thus, in view of the location of sites, it may be safely held that the Prehistory of Uttar Pradesh is actually the story of the Stone Age of the southern hilly tracts of the province. It is particularly true with reference to the palaeolithic history of Uttar Pradesh. Hence, an account of only the southern parts of Uttar Pradesh in the following pages.

**Contents and Sample Pages**