Balathal
Encyclopedia
Balathal is an archaeological site
located in Vallabhnagar tehsil of Udaipur district
of Rajasthan
state in western India
. The Kataranadi River is very close to the site and archaeologists believe there may have been another large body of water that existed but has since become dry.
This site, located 6 km from Vallabhnagar town and 42 km from Udaipur
city, was discovered by V. N. Misra
during a survey in 1962-63. It was excavated from 1994 to 2000, jointly by the Department of Archaeology of the Deccan College
Post-graduate and Research Institute, Pune and the Institute of Rajasthan Studies, Rajasthan Vidyapeeth, Udaipur under the direction of V. N. Misra of the Deccan College.
This ancient site was occupied during two cultural periods: the Chalcolithic and the Early Historic. There was also a significant amount of time that the site was abandoned after its earliest period of occupation. The houses found at the site are square or rectangular made of mud brick, stone
, and wattle
and daub
. It has been determined that the people practiced agro-pastoralism, which is a mixture of both farming and herding animals. Pottery
at the site has been thoroughly analyzed and tells much about life at this ancient site. Balathal is part of the Ahar-Banas Complex and can be connected to other Ahar-Banas culture
sites through artifacts that have been discovered. Some of the pottery from Balathal was locally produced, while other types found at Balathal came from other sites in the Ahar-Banas Complex, such as Gilund
, Ojiyana, Marmi, and Ahar
.
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
located in Vallabhnagar tehsil of Udaipur district
Udaipur district
Udaipur District is one of the 33 districts of Rajasthan state in western India. The historic city of Udaipur is the administrative headquarters of the district....
of Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
state in western India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The Kataranadi River is very close to the site and archaeologists believe there may have been another large body of water that existed but has since become dry.
This site, located 6 km from Vallabhnagar town and 42 km from Udaipur
Udaipur
Udaipur , also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, west of Kota, and northeast from Ahmedabad...
city, was discovered by V. N. Misra
V. N. Misra
Virendra Nath Misra is an Indian archaeologist. He graduated from University of Pune. He is noted for his research into the Indus Valley Civilization.- Publications :...
during a survey in 1962-63. It was excavated from 1994 to 2000, jointly by the Department of Archaeology of the Deccan College
Deccan College
Deccan College may refer to:* Deccan College Post-Graduate & Research Institute * Deccan College of Engineering and Technology * Deccan College of Medical Sciences, a medical college in Hyderabad, India....
Post-graduate and Research Institute, Pune and the Institute of Rajasthan Studies, Rajasthan Vidyapeeth, Udaipur under the direction of V. N. Misra of the Deccan College.
This ancient site was occupied during two cultural periods: the Chalcolithic and the Early Historic. There was also a significant amount of time that the site was abandoned after its earliest period of occupation. The houses found at the site are square or rectangular made of mud brick, stone
STONe
is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Sin-Ichi Hiromoto. Kodansha released the two bound volumes of the manga on April 23, 2002 and August 23, 2002, respectively.The manga is licensed for an English-languague released in North America be Tokyopop...
, and wattle
Wattle
Wattle may refer to:*Wattle , a fleshy growth hanging from the head or neck of certain animals.*Wattle is another term for Congenital cartilaginous rest of the neck...
and daub
Daub
Daub may refer to:* Hal Daub , American politician and lawyer* Karl Daub , German Protestant theologian* Wattle and daub, dwelling construction technique and materials, using woven latticework daubed with a sand, clay and/or dung mixture...
. It has been determined that the people practiced agro-pastoralism, which is a mixture of both farming and herding animals. Pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
at the site has been thoroughly analyzed and tells much about life at this ancient site. Balathal is part of the Ahar-Banas Complex and can be connected to other Ahar-Banas culture
Ahar-Banas culture
The Ahar culture, also known as the Banas culture is a Chalcolithic archaeological culture of southeastern Rajasthan state in India, lasting from 3000 to 1500 BCE, contemporary and adjacent to the Indus Valley Civilization. Situated along the Banas and Berach Rivers, the Ahar-Banas people were...
sites through artifacts that have been discovered. Some of the pottery from Balathal was locally produced, while other types found at Balathal came from other sites in the Ahar-Banas Complex, such as Gilund
Gilund
Gilund is a village and an archaeological site located in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan state in western India. It is one of five ancient sites excavated in the Ahar-Banas Complex which also includes the sites of Ahar, Ojiyana, Marmi, and Balathal....
, Ojiyana, Marmi, and Ahar
Ahar
Ahar is a city in and the capital of Ahar County, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 85,782, in 20,844 families.Ahar is known on the market place for its Ahar rugs...
.