An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c9.s16.2

v1.c9.s16.2

(1) *PGW culture*. The basic distribution is in the Indo-Ganga divide and the upper Ganga valley. The recent report of about ten sites in the Hakra bed in Bahawalpur in Pakistan is explained by their close proximity to the SARASVATĪ course in Rajasthan which marks the s. boundary of the Indo-Ganga divide. A recent count lists about 315 sites with this pottery either in excavations or from the surface (Tripathi, 1976), but the total number may be much more. The excavated iron-bearing levels occur at the following: AHICCHATRA, ALAMGIRPUR, ALLAHAPUR, ATRANJIKHERA, HASTINĀPURA, KHALAUA, MATHURA, ROPAR, ŚRĀVASTĪ, NOH, KAMPIL and Jakhera. The sites of BHAGWANPURA², DADHERI, NAGAR and KATPALON where this pottery level is said to be coeval with the late Harappa level [4.10] and is without iron may well be ignored in the present context. Only the site, HASTINĀPURA, is properly published, though even here the report of the second dig at the site is largely unpublished. The diagnostic pottery [11.14], a finely levigated grey ware, wheel-turned, with mostly bowls and dishes painted in black with geometric designs like *svastika* and spirals, occurs in a limited quantity. The associated wares are red ware, generally plain, plain grey ware, black-and-red ware [11.6.3] and the black-slipped ware [11.13]. The structural remains are of wattle-and-daub, and the subsistence economy is based on rice, perhaps in addition to wheat and barley which occur in an earlier level at ATRANJIKHERA, the domestic cattle, sheep, buffalo and pig. Horse bones occur at HASTINĀPURA. ALLAHAPUR shows a close familiarity with the deer. Cloth-impressions have been found on sherds at ATRANJIKHERA and NOH. The miscellaneous cultural items comprise: beads of terracotta, bone and semiprecious stones; terracotta discs [6.7.3]; different types of bone and stone objects; animal terracotta figurines; glass, ivory, shell and horn objects; etc. Copper is known but is limited to minor objects like bangles, arrows and antimony rods [18.1]. The iron objects include: spears; arrows; points; socketed tangs; axes; hoe (reported from Jakhera); sickles (from ATRANJIKHERA and Jakhera); knives; blades, rods; a pair of tongs (from ATRANJIKHERA); nails; pins; and slag suggesting iron-smelting. The general range of ¹⁴C dates for this level is 800-400 B.C., although there is nothing sacrosanct about this range; the beginning may reasonably be earlier (cf. the date of 1025 B.C. from ATRANJIKHERA).