An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c11.s19.t1.4

v1.c11.s19.t1.4

Rotary querns involving the principle of rotary motion mark the most evolved form of hand-operated querns. They consist of two parts: a lower and an upper stone called the hopper. Two of these querns were found at Taxila, one belonging to the late Śaka-Parthian period (100 B.C. to A.D. 50) and the other to the 5th century A.D. A dozen complete specimens and also several broken pieces were found at NEVASA in the levels of early historical period (2nd or 1st century B.C.). In his comprehensive study of the specimens from NEVASA and other sites like Tadkod, LOTHAL, BILAWALI, NAGARJUNAKONDA, Taxila and SIRPUR, the examples from the latter site dated to the 6th-7th century A D. Sankalia (Sankalia *et al*., 1960, pp. 477-89) divided them into five classes, depending upon the variation in the position of the peg-handle provided for rotation on the hopper stone. He concluded that rotary querns (his classes 1 to 3) with a transverse hole for wooden fittings including the peg-handle) preceded in time those with a vertical handle as indicated by a socket on the rim (his classes 4 and 5). The latter type is widely used even today. He further postulated that the former category, including the solitary specimen found on surface at LOTHAL and ascribed to the late Harappa phase by the excavator, was introduced into India by the Indo-Greek or even the Phoenicians. [Childe, 1943, would ascribe the introduction of rotary querns in the subcontinent to the early centuries of the Christian era]. Arguing in favour of a late Harappa date of the Lothal example and taking note of the use till today of heavy wooden rotary querns by certain tribal groups of Madhya Pradesh and Orissa and also the fact that at Taxila the quern with vertical handle occurs in levels earlier than the one with transverse handles, Dikshit, 1968, pp. 25-46, contradicted Sankalia's view and argued for an indigenous origin of this device. But Sankalia, (1974, pp. 375-6,) remains unconvinced and draws attention to the conspicuous absence of rotary querns during the time-period covered by the Harappa and post-Harappa cultures.