An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c9.s14.12

v1.c9.s14.12

The settlements of the culture range from small hamlets of ·8 to 1·6 hectares in area to large villages like Ahar² and Gilund sprawling over an area of nearly 4 hectares. The large size and long duration of these settlements—Ahar², for instance, has an about 10 m thick deposit—and the richness and variety of the material culture would by themselves suggest that agriculture was the mainstay of their economy. A large number of stone querns and rubbers [6.19] must have been used for the grinding of grain. More direct evidence for agriculture is provided by the presence of husks and spikelets of domesticated rice (*Oryza sativa* Linn.) in the core of potsherds. The people domesticated the cattle. *buffalo*, sheep, goat and dog. They also hunted *barasinga* (swamp deer) and caught and trapped fish, turtles and birds.