An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c5.9

v1.c5.9

South India is no longer full of unresolved problems. The cultural equipment of the Megalithic Culture and its time-scale is now sufficiently clear. Megalithic burials have been excavated in various parts of India including Vidarbha, the Vindhyan region and the peninsular. On the basis of the available C-14 dates, the Megalithic Culture in these regions seems to fall between 1000 and 100 B.C. Despite the excavation of a large number of burials, the identity of their builders and the origin of the culture still remain problematic. The distinctive ceramic industry of the Megalithic Culture is the Black-and-red Ware. The principal excavated sites are Brahmagiri, Mahurjhari, Maski, Nagarjunakonda, Porkalam, Paiyampalli, Sanur and Yelleswaram. Much controversy rages about the origin of this Ware and its occurrence in non-megalithic association, including the chalcolithic. The excavation at Arikamedu near Pondicherry defined for the first time, the chronological position of an extensive complex of south Indian pottery and other equipment with the associated finds of dated imports of Arretine Ware. Among the products of Arikamedu was a type of dish, decorated on the internal base with concentric rings of a rouletted pattern, mainfestly derived from a characteristic feature of the Arretine Ware with which it was associated. Being a *sui generis* otherwise foreign to Indian ceramics, the Rouletted Ware. as it was christened, soon became a chronological marker. Its subsequent discovery at other sites introduced an element of chronological precision. Among the hinterland sites where it has been found, Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh deserve special mention.