Prachi Valley Civilisation which dates back to Copper Stone Age which is 4,000 to 5,000 years old is believed to have flourished on the bank of Prachi River
Bhubaneswar: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)’s Bhubaneswar circle is all set to begin an excavation on the bank of Prachi River at Bharatihuda in Niali block of Cuttack district from January 2018 to collect data about the ancient civilisation.
Prachi Valley Civilisation which dates back to Copper Stone Age which is 4,000 to 5,000 years old is believed to have flourished on the bank of Prachi River. In October, the ASI headquarters in Delhi gave consent to carry out the excavation to find out more about the Prachi Valley Civilisation.
“We expect that the excavation will find out more information about the 4000 years old or Copper Stone Age civilisation,” ASI Bhubaneswar circle superintendent archaeologist DB Garnaik said.
In May this year, the archaeologists had discovered artefacts of the ancient Copper Stone Age civilisation from the bank of Prachi river. The discovery near Bharatihuda area of Jalalpur village, about 4km from Niali tehsil, revealed that there was human habitation 4000 to 5000 years ago. Earthen pots, items made of stones, weapons and animal and birds’ bones used by the people were recovered.
Prior to the discovery of the artefacts, it was believed that medieval civilisation and medieval temple architectures were developed on the bank of Prachi river. However, the discovery of the artefacts confirmed that the Prachi Valley Civilisation is very ancient than what was believed earlier.
It is believed that the civilisation beginning from Copper Stone Age to pre-historic age was developed on the Prachi river bank. After the preliminary findings, the ASI had sought permission from its headquarters to carry out more excavation on the river bank.
“While setting up of camps has already begun, the excavation will begin from January. The excavation will lead the Prachi Valley Civilisation to 4000 years back,” Garnaik said.
The Prachi Valley Civilisation and Sisupalgarh are believed to be contemporaneous. The Prachi Valley civilisation was existed during Mauryan rule. The excavation will reveal how the civilisation developed over the years from Copper Stone Age to pre-historic age.
“This civilisation has not been found any parts of the state. Although the Copper Stone Age was discovered in other parts of the country, there is no enough data about their culture. So we expect more findings from the excavation. The excavation will continue for five months till the rainy season,” Garnaik said.
Sources said Bharatihuda area which is sprawling over 12 acres of land is five metres high from its surrounding areas. The historic civilisation is situated in the area between Prachi river and Tanla river.
PNN
