Quaternary Geoarchaeology of India

The Quaternary Period in South Asia has a very prolonged and diverse history. Within this region, India represents various technological and cultural phases of hominin occupation adapting to different ecological zones throughout the Quaternary Period. The earliest records of this occupation can be traced back to 1.5 Ma ago and possibly to c. 2 Ma ago. Archaeological evidence has been reported from all known phases in India, showing a continuous record of occupation from the Early Pleistocene onwards and reflecting adaptation by multiple hominin species over time. This book aims to highlight recent advances in the Quaternary geoarchaeology by showcasing diverse methods such as archaeology, geology, palaeoclimatology, sedimentology, GIS, remote sensing and taphonomy. It presents a collection of papers that address various geoarchaeological aspects from different regions in India, within the time frame of the Early Pleistocene to Anthropocene. This volume provides an opportunity for new data to be disseminated, particularly by young researchers and, within the framework of worldwide research issues, it promotes new geoarchaeological perspectives from India.
Scratching the surface(s): examining the complexity of geological contexts for the Palaeolithic of the Sonar Basin, Madhya Pradesh
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Published:March 31, 2023
Abstract
The Sonar River Valley is centrally located in Madhya Pradesh, flanked by rich Palaeolithic and fossiliferous localities in the Son and Narmada valleys and has historically been overlooked in favour of the latter rivers, which tend to preserve well-stratified Quaternary formations along varying portions of their length. Here an attempt is made to look at the Sonar Basin through a broader lens, examining the various landforms found in the district of Damoh through which the Sonar flows before joining the Ken. The objective of this paper is threefold: to bring together the geomorphology of the area both in association with and as a result of fluvial action but also as a product of other geomorphic processes; to understand the consequences these processes have for the visibility of the prehistoric archaeological record within the region; and to look at this geoarchaeological relationship in the wider context of some of the major river basins in Madhya Pradesh, notably the Son and Narmada. Secondary sources on geology and geoarchaeology have been integrated with preliminary fieldwork in Districts Damoh and Narsinghpur, and to a smaller extent in Sagar, Chhatarpur and Panna. This work demonstrates the complexity of the South Asian Palaeolithic record that stretches beyond fluvial contexts, in turn helping to spatially expand our understanding of hominin behaviour beyond narrow riverine corridors.
- alluvial plains
- archaeology
- Asia
- Cenozoic
- clastic sediments
- colluvium
- erosion features
- fluvial environment
- fluvial features
- India
- Indian Peninsula
- landform evolution
- Madhya Pradesh India
- Narmada Valley
- Paleolithic
- pediments
- Quaternary
- regolith
- sediments
- Son Valley
- Stone Age
- weathering
- Damoh India
- Maihar Complex
- Sonar Basin
- Sonar River valley