An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v2.c40.61

v2.c40.61

Between the last phase of the Neolithic culture and the Megalithic burials, there being no habitational site of the megalith-builders here, there must have been a time interval of about 1000 years. Megalithic monuments, a few of which were first excavated by Longhurst, were distributed into two distinctive clusters—Sites 44 and 63. The former being a disturbed area, the actual number of its stone circles could not be ascertained, but most of them yielded no cultural remains. At the same time the one that had disarticulated remains of at least three adult individuals, all of them buried in a rectangular cist, accompanied by grave goods in the form of pottery and iron objects, proved to be the richest megalith of Nagarjunakonda. The only other cist, at Site 64, produced two human femurs and an armlet. Site 63 was a cluster of 18 megaliths, of which all the examples except one were pit circles. At this site 13 megaliths were opened, but barring two, Megs. XIV and XV which disclosed primary extended inhumation burials, all of them entombed the remains of post-excarnation burials. The dead were laid in a n.-s. orientation as in the Neolithic cemetery but the skeletal remains in Meg. XV were placed in an e.-w. orientation. Very often animal bones were also found; in fact the evidence from Meg. XII proved beyond doubt that the actual interment was preceded or succeeded by elaborate rituals including animal sacrifice. Thus two articulated skeletons of animals, one of them a calf, were placed at different levels but far above the floor-level of the pit having the disarticulated remains of an adult individual. It is interesting to note that in the 14 megaliths that were opened the remains of at least 19 individuals—17 adults and two children—could be identified. These people were tall in stature, sturdy and wide-nosed; a brachycephalic element was also present.