An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c9.s6.38

v1.c9.s6.38

The earliest inhabitants lived in pits, circular, oval, rectangular or squarish on plan cut into the natural loess, their walls plastered with the same material. One of the largest circular dwelling pits measures 2·74 m at the top and 4·57 m at the bottom in diameter and is 3·96 m deep. Three landing steps led into this down to a certain level, beyond which it should be presumed that some sort of ladder was used to reach the floor. It is also to be presumed that such steps were a normal feature of these dwellings. All along the periphery at the top post-holes are found, indicative of some sort of superstructure of perishable material. From the discovery of birch in one such pits it may be concluded that birch, till recently the roofing material in the region, was utilized for thatching. Outside the pits but inside the covered area at the top vestiges of stone hearths and storage pits close by have been discovered leading to the surmise that during the warmer days the pit-dwellers came out of their underground refuge to live on the surface of the earth. Hearths have also been noticed inside the pits. Conical stones measuring on an average from 91 cm to 1·51 m in length and 22 to 44 cm in breadth found inside some pits perhaps served as leaning stones. An interesting feature is that two pits are interconnected with an arched corridor, also plastered with mud. From inside the pits a few bone tools and animal bones have been obtained, but no evidence of grains or cereals has been noticed. The usual filling of the pit comprises ash, charcoal, etc.