A History of Agriculture in India v1.c22.s2: Hallur
A History of Agriculture in India v1.c22.s2
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Hallur
v1.c22.s2.1
| Neolithic Age 1800 BC | | Iron Age 870 BC |
| | | Rice |
| | | *Eleusine coracana* |
| | | *Paspalum scrobiculatum* |
| | | *Tectona grandis* |
v1.c22.s2.2
Fig. 125. Foodgrains and timber discovered from Hallur (Karnataka), 1800 B.C. to 870 B.C. (After Vishnu-Mittre)
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At Site 1, dwelling-pits of varying depths, cut into the natural soil, oval, circular and oblong, were uncovered. The larger pits had a landing or ramp-like approach on one side. A dwelling-pit lined with stones along the edges showed two phases of occupation. Post-holes along the periphery of some pits suggested the existence of a thatched superstructure over them. Bone tools exemplified by awls, points and scrapers were found in one of the dwelling-pits, besides fragmentary ground axes and short blades of chert and quartz. The ground stone axes revealed all the stages of manufacture, namely flaking, pecking and grinding. Generally, the axes with a pointed butt formed the majority. The mace-heads and perforated stones used as weights for digging-sticks were of particular interest. For domestic use and agricultural operations, short blades of chalcedony, chert and quartz were used as composite tools. The wasteflakes and fluted cores indicated that the blades were made locally.
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The Neolithic settlers of Paiyampalli cultivated cereals and pulses. Charred grains of pulses identified as kulthi (*Dolichos biflorus*) and mung (*Vigna radiata*) have been found in those levels where a few sherds of megalithic pottery occurred in an essentially neolithic habitation-deposit. These may be dated 315 B.C. The skeletal remains from the neolithic levels represented animals of the bovid group, sheep, spotted deer, fowl, pig, jungle cat and rhinoceros. Swamps and thick jungle in the neighbourhood of the Paiyampalli are suggested by the presence of bones of rhinoceros.