SAMBALPUR: In a major discovery, researchers from the Sambalpur University’s History department have unearthed tools and artefacts dating back to the middle and late stone age period on the southern fringes of Debrigarh hill range, around four km from Bhatli township and two km from Torajunga in Bargarh district.
The excavations point to the existence of early Homo Sapiens in the region during the middle palaeolithic (middle stone age) and upper palaeolithic (late stone age) period about 65,000 to 25,000 years back.
The artefacts include red ochre saddle querns and pestles from the middle stone age and late stone age respectively.
Speaking to mediapersons on Thursday, department Professor Pradeep Kumar Behera said,” The excavated items were scientifically examined by Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences in Lucknow and Phytolith Research Institute in Pune and subjected to optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) technique to date them. Excavated soil samples were also tested to determine contemporary vegetation pattern of the area”. Prof Behera said the OSL date of the artefacts from middle stone age is determined as 65.6 (±4.1) thousand years and those from late stone age period is determined as 25.8 (±1.6) thousand years.
This apart, the phytolith analysis of soil samples have revealed shift in vegetation pattern from woodland to savanna between the two periods of human occupation at the site. “It is very interesting that the saddle querns recovered are of ground red ochre (iron oxide). However, there was no deposit of red ochre there. The nearest place to the site, where red ochre deposit is found, is 80 km away towards north of Barapahad.
Hence, the discovery of the saddle quern indicates existence of a long distance trade network and developed cognitive abilities of humans who had settled at Torajunga site,” he added. A team of postgraduate history and archaeology students under leadership of Prof Behera, coordinator Dr. Neena Thakur, curator of NK Sahu Museum, Kshirasindhu Barik and research scholars have been exploring and carrying out excavations in the upland areas of Bargarh since 2015.