Monalisa Patsani
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar: Archaeologists at the site of the ongoing excavation work at Suabarei here Wednesday unearthed bones of an animal that they believe is large and belongs to the Chalcolithic era or the Copper Age.
The archaeologists undertaking the excavation work at the site barely 20 km from the city, which was resumed December 22, have unearthed many artefacts belonging to the Chalcolithic era. The archaeologists have now found three big bones of an animal in the sixth layer of the ground, which they believe could have come from that period.
Excavation started at the site in 2014 and the ongoing efforts are part of the second excavation work, during which a circular hut, painted pottery and multi-chrome pottery have been unearthed.
“We have unearthed three pieces of big bones from the site and we believe that it is of a big animal. Right now we cannot be sure about the period to which the animal belongs. The size of the animal can be judged after a thorough analysis,” said Jeevan Patnaik, superintending archaeologist of ASI.
A team of experts from Deccan College, Pune, will visit the site and analyse the bones Thursday. “Last year also we unearthed many bones from the site but the ones discovered now are huge. A team from Pune will visit the site and will thoroughly analyse the bones. Only after that would we know the age of the bones and animals species,” said Patnaik.
“We have unearthed a series of circular huts made mud lump and mud bricks. The diameter of one is four metres and that of another is three metres. These huts signify that there was a settlement, which we did not unearth last time. This time we have also unearthed painted pottery, which would help us know more about that civilisation,” he said.
During the last excavation work, artefacts such as a stone axe, polishers, bone points, a bone needle, charred animal bones with cut marks, fish bones, ear studs, copper objects, beads and a bone arrow were unearthed from the site.
