Format: Paper presentations with discussion
Convenors:
Donghee Chong, Dept of Archaeology and Art History, Seoul National University, Korea, okidok2@snu.ac.kr
Sejin Kim, Dept of Archaeology and Art History, Seoul National University, Korea, syjin0724@snu.ac.kr
This session brings together recent archaeological research from South and East Asia, highlighting trade, settlement, and cultural development across diverse landscapes, and offering new perspectives on the complex socio-economic and technological transformations shaping prehistoric and early historic Asia.
Papers:
Punchmarked Coin Hoards of Ancient Gandhara and Trade Relations Between the Northern and Southern Regions of the Hindukush Mountains
Sujit Yadav, Dept of Ancient Indian History, Culture & Archaeology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
The Gandhara region, located in present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan, was a significant cultural and trade centre in ancient times. Punch-marked coins played an important role in facilitating trade and cultural exchanges. These coins are the earliest coins of the Indian subcontinent, and are uninscribed and punched with symbols. The number of punched symbols makes them imperial or local. Several hoards of punchmarked coins have been recovered from this region, most notably from Chaman Huzouri, Bhir, Ai Khanoum, Barikot and Shaikhan Dheri and Mir Zakah. The widespread use of punch-marked coins in Gandhara facilitated cultural contacts and exchanges with neighbouring regions. Traders and merchants from different cultures and backgrounds interacted through these trade routes, leading to the exchange of goods, ideas, and cultural practices. The circulation of punch-marked coins contributed to the growth of urban centres and the development of a monetised economy in Gandhara. The standardised currency enabled merchants to conduct transactions more efficiently, leading to increased trade and economic prosperity. These hoards can explain trade contact through ancient trade routes between different parts of India as the coins were transported through trade as a medium of exchange.
Settlement Dynamics and Stone Tool Production in Jungdo site, the Bronze Age (Mumun Period), Korea
Donghee Chong, Dept of Archaeology and Art History, Seoul National University, Korea
Sejin Kim, Dept of Archaeology and Art History, Seoul National University, Korea
The Jungdo settlement (1,500–400 cal BC) in the North Han River basin, with its extensive remains of over 1,200 pit houses, provides a unique archaeological perspective on Bronze Age village history. Despite being the largest known Bronze Age site in Korea, research has largely focused on ceramic typology and settlement chronology, leaving its potential for understanding long-term settlement dynamics underexplored.
To address the gap, this study examines 131 radiocarbon-dated pit houses to investigate the relationship between settlement spatio-temporal dynamics and stone tool production. By integrating chronological data with lithic analysis, we identify three key trends: (1) the diversity of tool functional categories corresponds to population fluctuations, (2) households exhibit varying intensities of lithic production, and (3) these inter-household differences are intricately linked to the spatial and temporal evolution of the Jungdo settlement.
This study enhances our understanding of socio-cultural transformations, including settlement aggregation, craft specialisation, household interdependence, and settlement complexity. Our findings not only reconstruct aspects of prehistoric social organisation in Korea but also provide a methodological framework for comparative archaeological research.
Koloshi: A Prehistoric Cave Site in the Konkan Zone of Western India
Parth R. Chauhan, IISER Mohali, India
Rhutvij Apte, Nisargyatri
Akiyala Imchen, independent researcher, India
Mihir Tanksale, IISER Mohali, India
Aditi Dave, Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
Sudhir Risbud, Nisargyatri, India
Tejas Garge, Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Maharashtra
The western coast of India was an important biogeographic zone for human and faunal adaptations, especially given its proximity to the nearby areas of high biodiversity and rainfall. The oldest known archaeological evidence is Acheulian artefacts in a cave context and other prehistoric occurrences have also been reported from several localities. Most of this record is dominated by microlithic assemblages in open-air contexts and a few reported cave sites; all of these remain poorly understood. One of these includes the cave site of Koloshi which is being archaeologically investigated for the last two years. Situated relatively close to the coast, this cave is represented by a large cavity formed through weathering of the regional lateritic bedrock. Based on the typo-technology of the lithic assemblages recovered thus far, the site appears to represent occupation by prehistoric Homo sapiens group(s). The cave preserves (typologically) later Palaeolithic and microlithic assemblages, including hammerstones, anvils, choppers, core scrapers, flake scrapers, tanged points, microblade cores, bladelets and debitage, all in surface and buried contexts. Such well-preserved caves are extremely rare in the Konkan region. This work at Koloshi represents the first systematic multidisciplinary investigation into the regional prehistoric archaeology by the Government of Maharashtra.
Archaeology of Buxar
Mandip Kumar Chaurasiya, Dept of Ancient Indian History & Archaeology, Patna University, India
Buxar (25°5′ North Latitude and 83°8′ East Longitude), located in the Bihar state of India, is a very important historical and archaeological place situated on the southern bank of the river Ganges.
The rich cultural heritage of Buxar attracted the eyes of archaeologists, including Buchanan, who visited the site in 1882 and Sir Alexander Cunningham, who visited in 1871-72. Cunningham opined that, although the site was very ancient as well as holy, it had no remains of archaeological interest. As a matter of fact, it appears that Cunningham did not examine the site thoroughly and gave his conclusion in haste.
In 1927, A. Banerjee Shastri, being attracted by the shape and size of the mound, conducted excavation on the site and brought to light brick structures, terracottas and two seals inscribed in Asokan Brahmi at a depth of 35 feet from the present ground level. He further stated that at a depth of 52 feet from the present ground level he encountered remains of finely built city of the Chalcolithic period and beneath this city, structures of an earlier period were also brought to light. He ascribed the terracottas to post Indias Valley and pre- Ramayana age. Shastri tried to show the influence of the Mohen-jo-daro and Sumerian terracottas on the Buxar terracottas.
Mortuary Practices and Memorial Stones: Exploring Living Megalithic Traditions in the North-Eastern Vindhya, India
Deepesh Singh, Dept of Ancient Indian History, Culture & Archaeology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
Archaeological evidence in India showed that the Mesolithic period marked the beginning of deliberate burial practices. During this period, elaborate burial practices, deep involvement in mortuary rituals, and the erection of memorial stones were common. Megalithic burial remains, found in the extension of the Vindhya area, suggest that this was a preferred region for megalithic folks. Megalithic burials provide evidence of the ritual, customs, and traditions that were involved in mortuary practices. The Vindhyan range, famous for its rich cultural heritage, has been a home for various ethnic groups for a long time, particularly, the area of north-eastern Vindhya, which comprises southern Uttar Pradesh. Indigenous tribal communities here are still practising living megalithic traditions that disclose a striking resemblance to ancient megalithic customs. This paper examines the customs and traditions related to the mortuary practices of modern tribal communities, seeking to establish a connection to ancient megalithic cultures. The present paper examines memorial stones, exploring their associated beliefs, rituals, and socio-cultural significance. It also aims to provide insights into how these practices have persisted and developed throughout history. This study addresses a significant gap in our understanding of megalithic traditions in this region by focusing on their importance in reconstructing the social and cultural history of ancient megalithic people. The paper discusses the symbolic significance of these memorial stones in ritual practices, their construction pattern, and broader understanding of the affiliation between material culture, memory, and the living history of the North-Eastern Vindhya.