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Pre-Christian era artefacts unearthed in Odisha
Context
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has discovered pottery pieces, and tools made of stones and bones believed to be of the pre-Christian era from a mound in Jalalpur village of Cuttack district
Significance
- Discoveries of ancient artefacts indicate that a rural settlement might have thrived in that period
- These latest discoveries is that a continuity in the progress of rural culture from a pre-historic era has been found
Tools found
Excavation carried out in 12 acres of land in the Jalalpur village has unearthed remnants of
- Axe
- Adze
- Celts
- Thumbnail scrappers chiselled from stones
- Harpoons
- point and stylus made of bones
- potteries with marks of paintings
Other discoveries
- The ASI teams have also come across a couple of circular wattle and daub structures, which were predominantly used by people to take shelter during the pre-Christian era, in 12 trenches being dug simultaneously
- Discovery of tortoise shell, dolphin and shark teeth and fish bones indicated that the settlement could have been closer to the sea coast
- Some rice grains have also been detected
What type of economy existed?
Rich materials found from excavation sites indicate that the people had a subsistence economy and they largely relied on agriculture, fishing and hunting
