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Rai, Niraj
- Rithi Ranjana: Reconstructing Crop Economy Based on Archaeobotanical Evidence and Radiocarbon Dates from an Early Iron Age Site in Semi-arid Vidarbha, Maharashtra, India
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Authors
Affiliations
1 Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53 University Road, Lucknow 226 007, IN
2 Institute of Archaeology, Archaeological Survey of India, Greater Noida 201 310, IN
3 Centre of Advance Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, IN
1 Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53 University Road, Lucknow 226 007, IN
2 Institute of Archaeology, Archaeological Survey of India, Greater Noida 201 310, IN
3 Centre of Advance Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, IN
Source
Current Science, Vol 120, No 11 (2021), Pagination: 1728-1739Abstract
We present results of the macrobotanical remains from an Early Iron Age site Rithi Ranjana in the Vidarbha region, Maharashtra, India. Analysis of 34 floated samples indicates that the likely staple foodgrains were Oryza sativa, Hordeum vulgare and Triticum aestivum. Besides, few minor crops, pulses and oil/fibre-yielding plants have been retrieved. In addition, there is evidence of fruits like Carissa sp., Ziziphus nummularia and Emblica sp., which may have been gathered by the ancient settlers for consumption. The macro-botanical finds indicate the presence of winter and summer crops. Few weeds and other wild taxa as an admixture with the above economically important remains were also retrieved. The AMS radiocarbon dates of the plant remains and recovered archaeological artifacts support the affirmation of Early Iron Age cultural period at the site.Keywords
Archaeobotany, Crop Economy, Microbotanical Remains, Radiocarbon Dates, Semi-Arid Region.Full Text
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Authors
Pradeep Srivastava
1,
Prasanta Sanyal
2,
Sharmila Bhattacharya
3,
Praveen K. Mishra
4,
Suryendu Dutta
5,
Rajarshi Chakravarti
1,
Niraj Rai
6,
Naveen Navani
7,
Anoop Ambili
3,
K. P. Karanth
8,
Jahanavi Joshi
9,
Sushmita Singh
1,
Senthil Kumar Sadasivam
10
Affiliations
1 Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee 247 667, India, IN
2 Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata 741 246, India, IN
3 Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali 140 306, India, IN
4 Department of Geology, School of Sciences, Cluster University of Jammu, Jammu 180 001, India, IN
5 Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400 076, India, IN
6 Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow 226 007, India, IN
7 Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee 247 667, India, IN
8 Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Sciences, Bengaluru 560 012, India, IN
9 CSIR Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad 500 007, India, IN
10 Geobiotechnology Laboratory/PG and Research Department of Botany, National College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli 620 001, India, IN
1 Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee 247 667, India, IN
2 Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata 741 246, India, IN
3 Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali 140 306, India, IN
4 Department of Geology, School of Sciences, Cluster University of Jammu, Jammu 180 001, India, IN
5 Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400 076, India, IN
6 Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow 226 007, India, IN
7 Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee 247 667, India, IN
8 Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Sciences, Bengaluru 560 012, India, IN
9 CSIR Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad 500 007, India, IN
10 Geobiotechnology Laboratory/PG and Research Department of Botany, National College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli 620 001, India, IN
Source
Current Science, Vol 124, No 1 (2023), Pagination: 26-37Abstract
This article presents applications of metagenomics and metabolomics in geosciences. It emphasizes the significance of biomolecular proxies in palaeoclimatology, the evolution of life, the genesis of hydrocarbons and the role of biological processes in metallogeny. Several examples of breakthroughs with respect using these methods in earth sciences exist, such as the estimating resilience time of landscapes against invasive species. It is unfortunate that scientific programmes using bioproxies have not yet taken root in Indian institutions. Now is the appropriate time to delineate the critical role of biology in geology and establish it as a thrust area of research in India. A molecular geobiology programme would deal with the understanding of varied issues such as microbial heat production and its role in soil processes, the role of biology in mineralization, the use of biomarkers (metabolites) and ancient DNA studies in understanding feedbacks in climate change, evolution of life, etc. This article focuses on the use of metagenomics and metabolomics in palaeo-sciences and the potential intellectual dividends they could provideFull Text
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