4,000-year-old settlement found during Odisha excavation

The Odisha Institute of Maritime and South East Asian Studies (OIMSEAS), an archaeological wing of the State authorities, has found a 4,000-year-old settlement and historical artifacts in Balasore district.

After uncovering traces of fortified early historic websites close to Balasore city, the OIMSEAS had sought permission from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to doc the location on the Durgadevi village in Remuna tehsil.

Durgadevi is situated 20 km from Balasore city. According to the ASI, the location has a round mud fortification of about 4.9 km etween the Sona river to the south and the Burahabalang river on its northeastern margin.

Archaeologists have come throughout distinct traces of three cultural phases on the excavation web site — Chalcolithic (2000 BCE to 1000 BCE), the Iron Age (1000 BCE to 400 BCE) and the Early Historic Period (400 BCE to 200 BCE).

“Two small nullas, Gangahara and Prassana, join the site on its north and south, forming a natural moat for the site, which was an ancient water management system developed at least 4,000 years back from present,” the institute stated.

Excavation was began with an goal to correlate the simultaneous development and growth of maritime actions, and urbanisation within the east coast of India, linking the Ganga valley in north and the Mahanadi valley in central Odisha, extra significantly to give attention to early cultural growth in northern Odisha, the institute knowledgeable.

According to the OIMSEAS, horizontal excavation was concentrated in an space of two acres of excessive land, the place a cultural deposit of about 4 to five meters was seen.

Archaeologists have come throughout a human settlement, and artifacts belonging the Chalcolithic interval.

“The major discovery of the Chalcolithic period of Durgadevi is the base of a circular hut, black on red painted pottery, black slipped ware, red slipped ware, and copper objects. The floor of the circular hut is rammed with red soil,” Sunil Kumar Pattnaik, archaeologist and Secretary, OIMSEAS.

“From the base of the circular hut and the utilitarian objects found, the lifestyle of the people has been derived. People were mostly leading a settled life and had started agriculture, and domestication of animals and fishing,” he stated.

Similarly, the cultural materials proof and stays found from this section embody pottery, stays of black burnished ware, black and purple ware, iron objects like nails, arrow heads, and crucible and slag of assorted sorts belonging to the Iron Age.

“The use of iron is a landmark phase in the growth of civilisation in Odisha, particularly in north Odisha. There are several iron age sites discovered by various archaeologists in the upper and middle Mahanadi valley, but in north Odisha, this is the first site,” stated Mr. Patnaik.

Cultural supplies from the early historic interval equivalent to pottery specimens of purple ware, terracotta ear studs, bangles, beads, and a few conical objects, had been additionally found from the location.

“The lifestyle of the people, which is derived from the cultural materials, was very improved at that time, from an agricultural base to trade and construction of fortification around the site with a moat, which signify the emergence of urbanisation at Durgadevi around 400 BCE to 200 BCE,” stated the OIMSEAS Secretary.