An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v2.c29.60

v2.c29.60

The prehistoric site lies on a large and prominent sand dune, locally known as Mahasati, overlooking the left bank of the river about 1 km e. of the village. The site was discovered in 1967 by L.S. Leshnik of the Univ. of Heidelberg and the writer as part of a long-term project of investigation into the prehistory of n.-w. India, originally begun by the author in 1958. A preliminary dig revealed the rich potentiality of the site and further excavation on a large scale was carried out during three seasons from 1968 to 1970 jointly by the Dept of Arch., Pune Univ. and the Dept of Arch. and Museums of Rajasthan under the direction of the author. To date Bagor is the largest Mesolithic [4.5] habitation site excavated in India, and it has been horizontally excavated so as to expose extensive living floors. The variety and quantity of cultural materials recovered from the site are rich and varied compared to most Mesolithic sites so far known, and it has given an insight into the process of acculturation in a Stone Age community arising from contact with full-fledged farming cultures. Bagor also possesses the largest number of ¹⁴C dates amongst all sites of its nature and is thus the most securely dated of all mesolithic sites in the Indian subcontinent.