The History of Lahuradewa

Lahuradewa is a village in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

The site has been occupied since as early as 10,000 BC, and by 7,000 BC it provides the oldest evidence of pottery in South Asia.

Excavations here reported the earliest archaeological sites in South Asia for cultivation of rice.

This article is based on findings by Rakesh Tewari, R.K. Srivastava, K.S. Saraswat, I.B. Singh, K.K. Singh, from about 15 years ago. Most content and photos are from their research paper. I am re-using them for educational purposes.

Investigations started from the excavations carried out at the lakeside settlement of Lahuradewa, from 2001 to 2006. On the basis of the consistent presence of micro-charcoal in the nearby lake, human activity was considered to be going on in this area since 12,000 years. The presence of micro-charcoal observed in all the 28 sediment samples of Lahuradewa Lake, is an indicator of regular fire-events caused by human activity in the catchment area of the lake, during last 12,000 years. The site was brought to light by Krishnanand Tripathi, a resident of Lahuradewa.

There is an archaeologically well-defined record of settled life at this site, from the beginning of Early Farming traditions characterized by rice cultivation, from seventh millennium BC, spanning for several thousand years up to about 200 AD.

Initially, a husk-clot of domesticated rice was dated to 6,409 BC. This phase also showed evidence of wild mammals being utilized for food- like the Gaur, Sambar, Spotted deer, Wild pigs, Porcupine, Mongoose, Hare and common Squirrel.  Species of birds were also consumed. There were also remains of at least four species of freshwater fishes – Ritha(Catfish), Sareng/Boal fish, and the famous Rohu fish apart from freshwater mussels.  

Important associated cultural components include quite a good number of beads, made of steatite, which are comparable in size, shape and manufacturing technique with those of Harappan tradition. Besides, an example of carnelian is also noteworthy. These beads have been found right from the lowest levels.

Important items excavated also include copper artefacts from its lower deposits. Most significant amongst them are a copper arrowhead and a fishhook.

Now going into specific details, the excavations revealed the deposits of five layers

Period I      Early Farming Phase        

Coarse variety of handmade red ware and black-and-red ware industry often displaying cord-impressions on exterior surface

Faunal remains included some bones and a tortoise shell. Plant material consisting of incidentally carbonized material included a few grains and glume pieces of rice, conforming morphological to those of domesticated form (Oryza sativa)

A few painted potsherds, some terracotta and stone beads, and a few micro steatite beads were the noteworthy commodities in the cultural assemblage. Charred and un-charred bones showed cut-marks. Wattle-and-daub dwellings

Period II       Developed Farming Phase

Beginning from about 2000 BC, was characterized by an acclaimed presence of copper artefacts at Lahuradewa.

Earthen storage bins, baked terracotta tiles, legs of some terracotta objects, steatite beads in fairly large numbers, some lithic artefacts, beads of semi-precious stones, socketed and tanged bone or antler arrowheads with ravishing micro encircled decorations, etc. indicate considerable spurt in the material prosperity. In addition to customary dwelling structures, rammed earthen floors, hearths and a mud-wall augment to improvement in settlement plan are present

Growth of population would have extended, plausibly due to increased sedentism and clustering of human groups, as to the need to exploit arable territories around the site for sufficient means of agriculture. 

Period III      Advanced Farming / Early Iron Age       

Marked by the appearance of highly rusted iron artefacts. About 80 cm thick occupation deposit of this period comprised all types of ceramic industries of the earlier period. Important iron objects included sickles. Earthen floors, hearths burnt clay lumps with reed and straw impressions indicated the continuation of earlier structural traditions. Bone and antler arrowheads and awls were present in a good proportion

Period IV      NBPW phase        

Characterized by well-known NBPW

Period V      Early  Historic(Early  centuries BC/AD)

Some structures such as a brick paved well and remnants of some ground plan of a brick structure, comprising a few rooms and typical sherds in red ware known from the deposits of early centuries BC/AD at various sites were represented in the deposits of Period V.

Based on the 5 stages listed above and other investigations, rice based agriculture was prevailing at least in an area extended from the Himalayan Terai to north Vindhyas during, circa 6th to 3rd millennium BC onwards. A diffusion of rice cultivation from the Ganga Plain to Harappan Zone was also suggested during the 3rd millennium BC, where the rice is documented on several sites in Haryana and Punjab datable from 2850 BC.

Pulses of tectonics/Earthquakes causing up-warping of landscape by few meters, would have lowered the groundwater and may have contributed to the formation of calcrete, and that virgin deposit of sand represents the deposit of a small water channel. Disruption of this channel and its filling could have taken place before the human settlement of the area. Aridity during 5000-4000 BP and warping of landscape may have plausibly led to temporary abandonment of the occupation site.

The size of prehistoric grains has also been used as a criterion for differentiating between domesticated and wild forms of rices. This is to ensure answers to sceptics who might just say that these are still samples of wild rice and not domesticated ones.

In the light of early evidence of domesticated rice from Lahuradewa, the picture is now clear with regard to the beginning of agriculture in the Middle Ganga Plain during early post-glacial times, as in West Asia and China. On the basis of present evidence, this is the region of innovation in the origin of agriculture in India and south east Asia.

It is noteworthy that the Paleolithic artefacts found from the Siwalik Hills in Nepalese Terai, Bahadrabad (Upper Ganga Plain), Mau and Kalpi (Middle Ganga Plain) and presence of micro-charcoal at Sanai Tal demonstrate  that human activities were going on in the Ganga Plain from the Paleolithic times. However, the consistent hunting-gathering and exploitation of the flora and fauna seems to have been continuing from Terminal Pleistocene times in this region.

The Corded Pottery right from the lowest levels at Lahuradewa, Jhusi and Koldihwa,etc., datable to 10th millennium BC is an evolved form. It is logical to surmise that the ceramic traditions had an even earlier beginnings in the region.

At present there are more than 160 sites  which are identified as Neolithic or Chalcolithic, comprising cultural deposits of pre-NBPW period, from the Middle Ganga Plain, suggesting the considerable expansion in area of occupation and accelerated agricultural production from much earlier times. 

On the basis of the authentically identified remains of domesticated rice, it can be expected that the picture of early beginning of agriculture in the region will be changed  even further backwards. Nature of the remains and the grains by which the rice has been identified, seems to be sufficiently advanced. It is surmised that a certain level of cultural complexity and agricultural practices would have been a necessary prerequisite in still earlier stages of cultural evolution somewhere in Middle Ganga Plain, otherwise this status of rice domestication could not have appeared at Lahuradewa during 9000 BC.

Find the complete paper and more details here: https://docplayer.net/43297655-Early-farming-at-lahuradewa.html