A History of Agriculture in India v1.c22.s3.1

v1.c22.s3.1

In the north-western part of the Deccan plateau, traversed by the Narmada and the Tapti flowing westwards and the upper reaches of the Godavari and the Krishna flowing eastwards, a series of chalcolithic sites have been unearthed. These sites are Prakash, Bahal and Tekwada in the Tapti Valley, Daimabad and Nevasa in the upper reaches of the Godavari, Sonegao near the Krishna, Nasik, Jorwe and Chandoli on the plateau itself. An integrated study of this group of Maharashtrian sites has brought to light a number of phases. Daimabad I presents the earliest phase having cultural affinities with Saurashtra and Malwa as also with the upper neolithic phase of Karnataka. Stone axes, perforated ring-stone, a stone-blade industry and a coarse grey pottery form the cultural complex of the first phase. In the second phase, represented by Daimabad II and Prakash IA, copper knife blades, a fine reddish-brown ware and Malwa-type spouted wares appear. Jorwe, Nevasa, Chandoli and Sonegao, which represent the third phase, yield a variety of both stone and copper implements, painted red Jorwe wares with spouts, some lustrous red wares, and fibres of cotton, flax and silk. ¹⁴C datings on samples from Sonegao put the Jorwe phase between 1375 and 1290 B.C.; the second phase (Daimabad II, Prakash IA) may be placed between *c.* 1700 and 1400 B.C. by comparison with Navdatoli IIIB and IIIC, and the first Daimabad phase before 1800 B.C.³