10/27/13CHALCOLITHIC CULTURES :: kAYATHA / aHAR / Malwa / Jorwe Culture ::: Ancient History - IAS OUR DREAM swapsushias.blogspot.in http://swapsushias.blogspot.in/2013/10/chalcolithic-cultures-kayatha-ahar.html CHALCOLITHIC CULTURES :: kAYATHA / aHAR / Malwa / Jorwe Culture ::: Ancient History As the name indicates, during the Chalcolithic (chalco = copper and lithic = stone) period, both metal and stone were utilized for the manufacture of the equipment in day-to-day life. Since this is the first metal age, copper and its alloy bronze which melt at low temperature were use for the manufacture of various objects during this period. By far the most important sites of this period are the Indus valley sites. The Indus valley civilization is basically urban civilization with all advanced amenities. On the other hand, the Chalcolithic culture of Central, Eastern and Southern regions of India show somewhat entirely different features than those of the Indus valley sites, and deserve to be dealt in a different footing. The Chalcolithic cultures of the above regions basically represent the farming communities that existed during 2000-700 BC. Depending on the features exhibited, four important cultural trends have been identified. They are 1) Kayatha (Dt. Ujjain, MP) 2) Ahar or Banas(Rajasthan) 3) Malwa (Nagda, Navdatoli, Maheswar, Eran, Mandsor in MP and Diamabad and Inamgaon in Maharashtra) 4) Jorwe (Jorwe, Nasik). A comprehensive view of the Chalcolithic culture as revealed by the different sites can be discussed as under. RESIDENCES: Though the Chalcolithic people of Harappa made extensive use of bricks, the Chalcolithic people in the rest of India did not use any such material. The walls were constructed out of mud or mud and wattle. The houses were either circular or rectangular on plan. The houses usually had only one room, but multi roomed houses were also existing as evident at Inamgaon. The houses used to be plastered with cow dung and lime. They had some light roof supported on wooden posts as post-holes were encountered in large number in all the Chalcolithic sites. Inamgaon also has yielded evidence of a pit house which is circular on plan (3 M. Dia.) with post holes on the periphery. swapsushias.blogspot.in/2013/10/chalcolithic-cultures-kayatha-ahar.html#.UmwmeHCmhAA 1/4 10/27/13 CHALCOLITHIC CULTURES :: kAYATHA / aHAR / Malwa / Jorwe Culture ::: Ancient History . Most of the pottery used to be given fine slip of red. Green pea.blogspot. curvilinear and intricate designs in black pigment. sheep. goat. The Neolithic trend of using polished stone tools continued in this period also. deer. etc.IAS OUR DREAM SUBSISTENCE PATTERN: The Chalcolithic people subsisted on farming and hunting-fishing. etc. sambhar. orange or russet colour. Microlithic tools on silicious material were very common. which were also slaughtered for food.in/2013/10/chalcolithic-cultures-kayatha-ahar. Other crops included Bajra. which were used as weights for the digging sticks abound. A variety of crops were grown. anima. black gram. Fish bones and fishhooks attest to active fishing. Neither plough nor hoe has been attested to at Chalcolithic sites. pig and rarely horse were among the domesticated animals. Pottery used to be decorated with linear. goat.html#. vegetal. Cattle. Jowar. green gram. bird and fish motifs were also used in the decorations. Spouted vessels are another speciality of this period. Hunting also was an important occupation for bones of wild animals like wild pig. cheetah. were found in the excavations. Millets. Fish and animal flesh formed an important part of the diet of the Chalcolithic people. lentil. The characteristic Black and Red ware made its first appearance in the Chalcolithic sites at many places. buffalo and pig. The principal cereal was barley though wheat was also cultivated. stage. POTTERY : Wheel made fine pottery is the speciality of the Chalcolithic culture. swapsushias. sheep. buffalo. Absence of dishes in Jorwe ware indicates that the preparations were semi-liquid. but perforated stone discs. though hand made pottery is also present. Ragi. its usage was limited due to the scarcity of the material. Rice is reported from Inamgaon.UmwmeHCmhAA 2/4 . Floral. They reared cattle. EQUIPMENT: Though copper and bronze came to be used. They depended more on stone tool equipment. html#. but more confirmative evidence is required. Gold beads and ear ornaments were also reported from some sites. Stone grinders.UmwmeHCmhAA 3/4 . have been reported from Inamgaon and Nevasa. BURIALS: During the Chalcolithic period. pins.10/27/13 CHALCOLITHIC CULTURES :: kAYATHA / aHAR / Malwa / Jorwe Culture ::: Ancient History . rods. etc. CHRONOLOGY : The chronological assignments of different Chalcolithic cultures of India are as follows: swapsushias. Copper beads. upto five urns with pierced bottoms were used as evident at Daimabad. This probably indicates worship of mother goddess and also fertility cult. When two urns were not sufficient. Infants and small children used to be buried in pots arranged ‘mouth to mouth’.blogspot. Sometimes. backed or unbaked. either. There are also occasions when they bury their dead in big earthen urns. jasper. knives. agate. etc. carnelian. ORNAMENTS: Personal ornaments mostly composed of beads of semiprecious stones like chalcedony.IAS OUR DREAM Copper and its alloys were used in making axes. chisels. fishhooks. There is also meager evidence of other male and female divinities. Bull worship was also prevalent as noticed at Kayatha.in/2013/10/chalcolithic-cultures-kayatha-ahar. RELIGIOUS PRACTICES: Female figurines of clay. mullers and hammers were used for processing food. the feet used to be chopped off probably to prevent the dead from returning to this world or to prevent them from going away. the dead used to be buried in the habitational area itself. bangles and anklets were found in good number. The adults were buried in extended position. swapsushias.html#.in/2013/10/chalcolithic-cultures-kayatha-ahar. On the whole we can say that the rural life pattern. 3. 2. and this period forms the transition from stone ages to pure metal age. The above dates for different Chalcolithic cultures suggest that this culture can broadly be dated between 2000-700 BC.10/27/13 CHALCOLITHIC CULTURES :: kAYATHA / aHAR / Malwa / Jorwe Culture ::: Ancient History . 4.blogspot.IAS OUR DREAM 1.UmwmeHCmhAA 4/4 . Kayatha culture Ahar or Banas culture Malwa Culture Jorwe culture 2000-1800 BC 2000-1400 BC 1700-1200 BC 1400-700 BC. At many places this culture has been succeeded by Iron Age cultures. started in Neolithic period has been perfected in the Chalcolithic period.