An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v2.c45.345

v2.c45.345

**Sarutaru** (26°; 91°8′), Dt Kamrup, bordering that Dt and Khasi Hills, 25 km s.-e. of Gauhati, a Neolithic [4.6.6] site on, a hill-top discovered by the writer in 1967 and excavated by him for three seasons. Excavation in three trenches measuring 3 km square each revealed a single cultural horizon of 36 cm thickness. The cultural contents [4.6.6] recovered from the deposit include ground stone celts and potsherds. The nine stone celts stained with brownish tinge are made on grey to black slate and cream to buff sandstone. They are manufactured in two stages—chipping and grinding—and belong to two types: (1) shouldered celts, seven and (2) round-butted axes, two. The former are made on flat and thin nodules of slate; the faces are therefore smooth and the sections thin. The straight and broad cutting edge is sharp due to bifacial grinding about 1 cm from the edge. The tenon at the butt-end is formed by curved shoulders by making grooves on either side with harder rounded pebbles. The round-butted axes with broad cutting edge and tapering sides are found all over.