Recent Advances in South Indian Archaeology – The 2nd International Symposium in memory of Iravatham Mahadevan – 11-03-2023- Animal remains, Ashmound, ash, slag, Iron waste etc (7)

Recent Advances in South Indian Archaeology – The 2^nd International Symposium in memory of Iravatham Mahadevan – 11-03-2023-  Animal remains, Ashmound, ash, slag, Iron waste etc (7)

Mohanty – Manikapatna: an ancient port site in Odisha: Excavation of Manikapatna by D.R. Pradhan yielded the material evidence belonging to an early medieval port having remains of maritime activities. Manikpatna or Manikapatna is an archaeological site in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It has been identified with the medieval port of Chelitalo described by the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang. The site is located on the sea coast near Brahmagiri which is situated near the left bank of the Bhargavi river, at the northeastern end of the Chilika Lake. Findings indicate trade contacts with many countries. Chinese celadon ware and porcelain have been dated to different centuries, showing prolonged trade. Trade with the Roman Empire is evident from fine greyish-white rouletted pottery, knobbed ware and fragments of the amphora. Other pottery fragments originate from Burma, Siam and Arabian countries. A Sri Lankan coin belonging to the reign of Sahassa Malla has been found dating from the 11th or 12th century CE. The site is named after the nearby village of Manikpatna, which in turn is named after Manika, a milkmaid whom legend says sold yoghurt to Lord Jagannath and Lord Balabhadra when they passed by. The village is home to the Bhabakundalesvara Temple, which has a Shiva Linga made of black chlorite stone as the presiding deity.

Vedachalam – Vattezhutu (read in Tamil): Vattezhuttu and Tamil inscriptions of Varaguna Pandya II: – He was stressing that the first vattezhutu (a syllabic alphabet used for writing Tamil and Malayalam) was used and then during the medieval period, both vattezhutu and Tamil scripts were used, then, mostly, Tamil script was used. Though, he did not tell why such change, modification or transformation took place, he explained several inscriptions of the Pandyas and Cholas.

K. Sridharan – Pattaraiperumpudur excavation: It is situated on the eastern bank of the river Kosathalaiyar and lies on the western side of Tiruvallur, the district headquarter which is about 60 km from Chennai. This place is surrounded by a number of prehistoric sites like Gudiyam, Attirampakkam, Vadamadurai, Neyveli, Parikulam etc. The archaeological mound was found at three places in the village namely anaimedu, nathamedu and irulanthoppu.  In order to examine the potentiality of the archaeological vestiges the excavation was conducted at the place in April 2016. During the course of excavation it has been found that area was accumulating  the rich archaeological vestiges right from prehistoric period to early historical period.  The deposit contain stone tools, different type of potteries, bricks, iron objects, roofing tiles, carnelian beads, shell bangles, terracotta objects, glass beads, copper objects, inscribed sherds (Tamil Bhrami), sherds with graffiti marks, painting potsherds, ivory object, terracotta ring well and other house holding objects in different levels of the excavated trenches. A pragmatic study of the cultural vestiges and the in-situ study of findings gleaned from that the cultural deposit at pattaraipeumbudur can be divided into Stone age period, Iron age period and Early historical period.

Pankaj Goyal- Animal based subsistence strategies at Gottiprolu, a southern Satavahana outpost in Andhra Pradesh’s SPSR Nellore District: Gottiprolu, 2000 years ago, as revealed from archaeological investigations was once apart of the Satavahana Empire which was spread across the modern states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It was inhabited by many small to large settlements, the latter displaying urban characteristics and a rich material culture. These included sites such as Peddabankur, Dhulikatta, Kotilingala, and Veerapuram, etc. Some of these sites were fortified (Shastry 1983).During this period, particularly in its coastal region, major economic activities like craft specialization, Indo Roman trade along with Buddhism had flourished (Shastry 1983). One of the factors attributed for the urbanization in this region was the rich fertile alluvial soil of the Krishna and Godavari river basins, which had helped agriculture to develop. While animals may have also contributed to the early historic economy, theirrole is not clear because of the limited faunal studies carried out for sites of this period. Some of the studied sites are Peddabankur (Krishna Shastry 1983), Nagarjunakonda(Nath 1963; Talukder and Pal 2007), Pochampad (Alur 1979a), Yelleshwaram (Alur1979b) and Veerapuram (Thomas 1984).

An interesting feature of the faunal study revealed is the rich animal diversity in existence around Gottiprolu during the Early Historic period. Currently the site islocated adjacent to a reserve forest zone where many of the represented wild animals can be found even today. The representation of a wide range of animals particularly wild buffalo, wild pig, deer, birds, turtles strongly indicates that the climate during the settlement’s occupation was fairly wet and humid supporting a landscape with water bodies and vegetation. Due to which the region was rich in wild life. The Swarnamukhi River and its tributaries had adequate water to support aquatic animals like fish,turtles, molluscs etc. It is this congenial environment with its rich fauna that may have been one of the reasons for establishing the ancient settlement at Gottiprolu. While itstill needs to be determined whether Gottiprolu had functioned as an agricultural, religious, trading, industrial or a military settlement, the faunal study does strongly indicate that it had hosted a fair sized population sustained by a strong animal-based subsistence.

Observation: Incidentally, this paper has already been published in “Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 8.1: 2020” and they have uploaded in “Researchgate” site also[1]. So How he presents the same paper here is not known[2].

J. Soundararajan and K. V. Ramakrishna Rao – The importance of Ashmound found during the Excavations conducted at Valasai, Gudiyatham, Tamilnadu[3]: The Neolithic culture of South India has been invariably connected with ashmounds and Iron Age with the archaeological evidences found in the parts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. the Ancient History and Archaeology department of University of Madras, found ashmound in 2006 and 2021 at the Valasai village. Earlier, ashmound was reported at Appukkallu and Modur by the TN state archaeology department. Whether the Valasai ashmound can be compared with that of Karnataka, Maharastra and Andhrapradesh; people of Tamilnadu had the similar practices of them; the existing hypotheses and theories of ashmounds; and other issues are discussed, as the Valasai ashmound could be that of non-cowdung nature and that is discussed in this paper taking all factors into consideration and conclusion drawn.

location of the site, side view etc., showing the ash mound…..

Valasai, also known as Modikuppam Valasai (78^o51’53”E; 13^o01’47”N) is a small Village/hamlet in Gudiyattam Block, Kallapadi Panchayath in Vellore District of Tamil Nadu State, India.  In a first of its kind, students attached to the Madras University’s Ancient History and Archaeology department have excavated a neolithic ash-mound during their field training at Sendoor Malai near Gudiyatham[4] in 2021. Though Neolithic ash-mounds have earlier been discovered in other parts of south India, including at Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, this is the first time such a mound is excavated in Tamil Nadu. However, ASI in 1980 had already reported that there were evidences found here for the existence of Neolithic people at Valasai site. A thesis submitted in 2006 by A. Kumar, an alumni of our department, had recorded that there was an extensive mound with multi-cultural phases near Sendoormalai in Vellore district.

ashmound with moulds……..

Iron articles found……..

even holes / porous nature of slag / ferrous oxide waste can be noted……….

Valasai has evidences for Iron smelting and manufacture: The excavation resulted in finding of ferrous presence in the form of ash, slag and broken article. Ferrous slags are produced in different stages of the iron making processes resulting in varying physiochemical properties. Additionally, the rate of cooling of the slag material affects its degree of crystallinity further diversifying its range of properties. Thus, the evidences found are as follows:

1. The site yielded the evidence of Iron smelting activity in the form terracotta pipes and broken pieces of furnace with potsherds like Black-and-Red ware.
2. The excavation has yielded an iron slags from Layer 1 at M.VLS 2.
3. Terracotta blow pipe was also found in M.VLS-3 and 5, and it was used in iron smelting furnace to supply air inside it. It indicates the presence of Iron smelting activities.
4. The excavation has yielded an iron object at M.VLS- 3 and 5. The iron object was found in broken state. A broken knife was noticed from M. VLS-5.
5. The presence of iron slags, iron smelting pipes and iron objects indicate people does have the knowledge of iron smelting technology.
6. The excavation at Modikuppam Valasai has exposed a number of antiquities ranging from the period of Neolithic to Iron Age period. The antiquities include lithic objects, terracotta objects, TC beads, burnishing tool, grinding stones, Iron objects etc.

Here, the Valasai ashmound might thus differ with others with the metallic nature of content. Thus, the Iron furnace broken parts, terracotta pipes, Iron slag, broken Iron object etc., prove the Iron smelting activities and the waste, slag and powder / ash found could be related to Iron  (ferrous oxide) conglomerates with sand etc. the 74,000 YBP volcanic ash ad that of 3000-1500 BCE “ashes” have to be contrasted and differentiated.

Conclusion: In view of the above archaeological excavations, investigation and interpretation of excavated artefacts comparing with that of others, the following details are drawn out and submitted as concluding points:

1. Valasai, the Neolithic site has traces of ashmound, but, it is related to Iron Age period and thus, could be that of Iron smelting.
2. “Sendoor malai” could refer to the mound made of red soil with ferrous oxide content. The soil of the town is constituted with gravel clay mixed with sand soft rock. The eastern portion of the town has soft rock and red soil, red loam soil or red ferruginous variety both sandy and loamy. There is an hillock called “Sendukkarai Hill” in this portion.
3. Iron ash, furnace, slag and related items have been recovered to correlate and corroborate such investigation and interpretation.
4. The ceramic industry also vouchsafe the high temperatures handling capacity of the people, furnace and fuel materials, later reduced to ashes.
5. Cow / Cattle dung cake known as “Varatti,” had / has been a common man fuel producing temperatures of high order, depending upon the usage. These cakes were used in the furnaces used for the manufacture of clay articles, ceramics, beads, glass, metallic objects etc. Nowadays,, machines are available for making dung cakes[5].
6. Even today, the red soil is used widely for pottery making, brick manufacture and construction work for its ferrous, ferruginous and binding nature.
7. As elephant presence has been here, whether their dung available in huge quantities could be a source for the “ashmound” can also be studied[6].

Santanu Vaidhya – Socio-economic perspectives of Vidarba Megaliths:.. The finding of new sites has opened a new arena in study of the Early Iron Age. It can be seen as follows: a) The observation of Vaidya (2014) that there are and have to be many more sites with Early Iron Age habitation and also that the habitation and burials form one single cultural entity is supported. Hence, it can be said that there are settlements present in areas rich in resource like alluvium, pasture and iron ore.

b) Malli excavations (Sontakke 2014a) as discussed earlier have brought out some new aspects of the Early Iron Age such as the presence of a different burial architecture, negligible burial goods and also the importance of internal burial architecture more than the interments. Recent explorations have yielded only solitary evidence of menhir from Sasara. Menhirs are not very common in the Nagpur region, except at Nagbhir and Umred. But even the last mentioned two places are near the Wainganga River. Even at Malli and surroundings menhirs are noticed (Sontakke 2014a). Thus it can be said that this burial typology was confined probably to the Wainganga proper and not in the Nagpur region and further west. Also it seems that the burials differed in ideology from the Nagpur region, since at Malli not many burial goods were recovered as in the Nagpur region burials (Sontakke 2014a). Again this suggests the presence of a different burial type like menhir and cist in this region. Sasara and its surroundings therefore make up a promising place for further probing and investigations.

Observation: Here also, it is noted that the same or similar paper has already been published and appearing in the Bulletin of the Deccan college and also internet[7]. He might have presented here with slight changes of the same site and details[8].

© K. V. Ramakrishna Rao

14-03-2023.

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[1] Deshpande-Mukherjee, A., Goyal, P., Sreelakshmi, T., Rajesh, M., Veeraraghavan, N., Krishna, S., & Vinodh, N. Past Faunal Diversity and Animal Usage Revealed at Gottiprolu, A Southern Satavahana Outpost in SPSR Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh. Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 8.1: 2020.

[2]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359710811_Past_Faunal_Diversity_and_Animal_Usage_Revealed_at_Gottiprolu_A_Southern_Satavahana_Outpost_in_SPSR_Nellore_District_of_Andhra_Pradesh

[3]  K. V. Ramakrishna Rao in December 2022 itself sent two papers one joint paper with J. Soundararajan and another individual, both accepted, CV and detals asked, invited, but suddenly, K. V. Ramakrishna Rao  – name removed, he was invited to attend the conference as “participant,” for the best reasons only known to the organizers. Is it also “Recent advances in South Indian Archaeology” or not – is not known.

[4] Incidentally, the Kudatini ashmound, which sits astride a pass through a north– south spur of the Sandur Hills, was one of the first described by colonial surveyors, resemble “Sendoor malai,” Sendoor hills.

[5] cow dung processing machines such as –

1. Cow dung dewatering machine
2. Cow dung cake machine
3. Cow dung dia making machine
4. Agarbathi making machine –  are available in the market.

[6] Elephant dung produced has been enormous – as an elephant could produce 100 kgs dung per day and more than 40 MTs in a year. Thus, even, if ten elephants herd was there, 400 MTs dung would have been deposited in that area. Had it been disposed off periodically at a place by way of buring with other waste, it coud have also formed part of the “ashmound.”

[7] Vaidya, S., Abbas, R., Sontakke, V., & Willis, M. (2015). Recent Findings on the Early Iron Age in the Bhandara District and Wainganga Basin, Vidarbha. Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute, 75, 85-92.

[8] https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/49933029/Arch-75-07_85-92_Vaidya_etal-libre.pdf?1477646966=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DRECENT_FINDINGS_ON_THE_EARLY_IRON_AGE_IN.pdf&Expires=1678901644&Signature=SxxBHBzZ3vRt9eiwkRgUCXgLH~3YszAdK2WcrSBBU1A5xHHeNRnHxWAt2-cv8oYMqWEYNyQgGPn8nsgFR0AFDEJ1ZfOwRQ~ASf1dTJdd-5oZrcqFeBJJxQmqc5DZdeBItJ6MMeoA47OY9pyx3EjCP-eS1lNa6s2V32VDnHha6RSMPEx7dvKxLQ8pinjO4W~HdyTbDwS2jLzI8pBY7QyS-3CCNJGJm0GgdhXSCtsH9Yo78M9SQoaWceBTx1Uk-iHcoVI~v8Wnu3iPE8aLxN-NbiQbYp6-pmLAfC0E8rjwxhaUUHzOP0eM6o2csWy52Gc3w9EI2k0eZ2SZO6kI96JSkw__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA