4,000-year-old settlement found during excavation in Odisha

Source: The Hindu

What is the News?

Odisha Institute of Maritime and South East Asian Studies(OIMSEAS), the archaeological wing of the State government, has discovered a 4,000-year-old settlement and ancient artifacts in Balasore district.

Now, the OIMSEAS had sought permission from the Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) to document Durgadevi village in Odisha in the Balasore district.

About Durgadevi Village:

• Durgadevi village named after the presiding deity of the locality, is located 20 kms from Balasore town in Odisha.
• The site has circular mud fortification of about 4.9 kms in circumference.
• The site is located in between the river Sona on the south and the Burahabalang on its north-eastern margin.
• The site has two small nullas Gangahara and Prassana which join the site on its north and south, forming a natural moat. This was an ancient water management system developed at least 4000 years ago.

What are the key findings at this site? The archaeologists have come across distinct traces of three cultural phases from the excavation site, which are:

Chalcolithic Period(2000 to 1000 BC):

• There were human settlements and artifacts belonging to the Chalcolithic period.
• The major discovery was the base of a circular hut, black on red painted pottery, black slipped ware, red slipped ware, and copper objects.
• The people were mostly leading settled life and had started agriculture, domestication of animals, and fishing.

Iron Age (1000 to 400 BC):

• The discovered material that belongs to the Iron Age Period includes, pottery remains of black burnished ware, black and red ware, iron objects like nails, arrow head, crucible and slag of various kinds.

Early Historic Period:

• Early Historic Period cultural materials that were discovered include pottery specimens of redware, terracotta ear-studs, bangles, beads, and some conical objects.