IN AN astonishing discovery, the Post-Graduate Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture & Archaeology (AIHC&A), Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, has unearthed an iron age smelting site dating back to circa 1500 before common era (BCE) during an excavation at Pachkhed, taluka Babhulgaon, district Yavatmal. This would throw a new light on the Iron Age Culture in Vidarbha, feel historians and archaeologists. The department has also discovered beads of precious and semi-precious stones and potsherds inscribed with Brahmi script from the same site. After obtaining a licence from the Director General of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the department excavated the site at Pachkhed under the direction of Dr Prabhash Sahu, Professor and Head of the Department of AIHC&A from February to March this year. Dr Priyadarshi M Khobragade was the Co- Director. Pachkhed is located on the left bank of the river Chandrabhaga and about one km south-east of the confluence of the two rivers, Chandrabhaga and Wardha, falling under the revenue jurisdiction of Babhulgaon tehsil in district Yavatmal. It is located three kilometer east of village Sindhi on Pulgaon-Babhulgaon road and 43 km away from Yavatmal town.

 

The habitational mound which was excavated is locally known as “Sasu-Suneche Ukhade” (The Drum of Mother-in-law and Daughter in Law) and ‘Barad’ (Outskirt of the village). The objective of excavation was to find the cultural sequence of the site and compare it from the excavation of Arni (1979 & 1984) in Yavatmal district and to examine the affinity of the sequence to that of Adam in district Nagpur. Similarly, another objective was to ascertain the affiliation of the Early Iron Age community of the western and eastern Vidarbha and examine the importance of the site as it lies on the trade route of the Satavahana period connecting Bhokardan to Pauni. As the archaeological mound was on the verge of complete destruction due to human vandalism, its retrieval was necessary. The mound was subjected to horizontal excavation. The cultural deposit was 8.70 m divisible into three cultural periods, viz Period I sub-divided into two Sub periods IA and IB belong to the Iron Age followed by the Period II of the Satavahana Period and Period III and IV belong to the Medieval and Nizam eras, respectively. Though microliths were collected from the vicinity of the mound, no deposit of the Mesolithic period was encountered from the excavation. The Iron Age was the longest period of occupation. Because the excavation was of a smaller scale, no complete hose plan could be brought to light though archaeologists have recorded successive lime floors with postholes to support the wattle and daub superstructures.

 

The most noteworthy discoveries from the site are one copper and another iron smelting furnaces in two adjoining quadrants. Pottery of Black-and-Red ware, Micaceous Red ware, Black ware and Black Burnished ware comprise the ceramic repertoire of the period. The artifactual remains from this period comprise iron objects, beads of semi-precious stones and terracotta. The Iron Age was succeeded by the Satavahana Period. Like the Iron Age period, the structural remains are of wattle and daub houses with lime flooring. Lime slaking was done at the site itself as attested to by lime pits. Six wells made of bricks were recorded on the periphery of the mound. Two worn out potin coins having a lion and in another an elephant on their obverse with illegible legends, a broken bowl of brass, iron objects, bangles of shell, stylus of bone, potsherds inscribed with Brahmi alphabets, beads of terracotta and semi-precious stones were retrieved.