An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c14.s11.1

v1.c14.s11.1

The relative level of land and sea has been changing with time. The land either rises or sinks with respect to the sea level because of tectonic or isotatic causes. The sea level changes both because of the changes in the size of the sea basin or the volume of water in it. During the Glacial periods a lot of water was locked in the glaciers, as a result of which the sea level went down by as much as 100 m; conversely, the sea level came up during the Interglacial periods. Such sea-land relationship changes affected human habitations also. Recent work (Agrawal, *et al.*, 1973; Agrawal and Kusumgar, 1974; Gupta, 1972) on the w. coast of India shows that before 30000 to 35000 B.P. the sea level was several m lower than today. Around 30000 B.P. the sea level reached a level a few m higher than the present. There was a regression soon after. Around 15000 B.P. the sea started rising again reaching a height of c. 3 m above the present level around 5000 B.P. These changes naturally affected early man. When the sea level went down by 100 m most of the continental shelf would have become available for occupation. The vegetation belts would also have moved down or up in response to the changes. The evidence of submerged forests around Bangalore and Bombay supports such a hypothesis.