The present monograph includes a detailed account of the archaeological excavations carried out by the authors at the stone age settlement of Paisra, district Munger, Bihar, between 1980 and 1988. Paisra is a unique stone age settlement of the Indian sub-continent in more than one respect. First, the site has preserved unmistakable evidence for habitational floors of the acheulians, covering an area of several hundred square metres. Second, associated with the floors were found not only a large number of finished and semi-finished implements, flakes, cores and debitage, but also various hammers, anvils, lumps of raw material and other rock pieces. Third, the excavations have also revealed such remains as several post-holes and stone alignments of acheulian settlers, which can be logically interpreted as indicating the existence of more than one type of structures. Lastly, Paisra had also been a camp-site of mesolithic settlers in sixth millennium B.C. Incidentally, it remains the only mesolithic settlement of the entire eastern India, which has a radio-carbon date.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR P C Pant
P.C. Pant is Professor of Prehistory at the Banaras Hindu University.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Vidula Jayaswal
Grand daughter of (Late) Dr. K.P. Jayaswal, Dr. Vidula Jayaswal is presently teaching and guiding research in Ancient Indian History in general and Archaeology in particular at the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. Dr. Jayaswal was selected by the Government of India under the National Scholarship Scheme to study abroad and received specialized training in Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, U.S.A. She also served the Archaeological Survey of India. Author of eight books, five in English – Palaeohistory of India, Chopper-Chopping Component of Palaeolithic India, Kushana Clay Art, An Ethno Archaeological View of Indian Terracottas and Paisra: The Stone Settlement of Bhiar (last two in co-authorship) and three text books in Hindi-Bharatiya Itihas ke Adi Charan Ki Roop Rekha (Pura Prastar Yuga), Bharatiya Itihas Ka Madhya Prastar Yuga , and Bharatiya Itihas Ka Nav Prastar Yuga. She has also edited a proceeding of workshop which is published as Ancient Ceramics. Dr. Jayaswal has to her credit more than fifty research papers, which have been published in the proceedings of International Symposia and various publications of repute. Her noteworthy field investigations are excavations of prehistoric sites at Lahariandih in Mirzapur and Paisra in Munger districts and excavation of historical settlement at Bhitari, and, surveys of pottery and terracotta producing centres of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Her recent discovery of the Ancient Quarries of Asokan times and subsequent periods, near Chunar is a significant contribution to both Archaeology and History of Arts.
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