In an ongoing research on ancient civilisation, students of the Utkal University have discovered stone tools and weapons of a 4,500-year-old civilisation in various locations of Khordha district.
A team of researchers led by Assistant Professor Anam Behera of the Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology of the university and including students Kaibalya Charan Pati and Biswajit Behera unearthed the stone tools belonging to the Copper Stone Age at Mukundaprasad, Moulibandh of Keranga and Dianparbati of Podaput in the district.
During excavation at three locations, the team discovered stone tools including weapons, tiny weapons, plain stones and stone fragments. The stone fragments (Khapara) of varieties of colours found from Balukeswar (Mukundaprasad) indicated the existence of the Copper Stone Age, which is 4,500 years old, in the area.
Similarly, stone weapons, stone fragments, dish on stand, plain round stones were discovered near a nullah passing through Moulibandh in Keranga. The team also found similar items in the Dianparbati area of Podaput.
According to experts, the places belong to three variants of civilisation in the cultural context. While the weapons made of tiny stones can be regarded as items of the Stone Age, the plain stones and rope-mark stone fragments discovered from the site are of the New Stone Age, which is 10,000 years old in Japan, 6,000 years old in Thailand and 8,000 years old in Baluchistan of Pakistan. The stone fragments of red and brown colour belong to the Copper Stone Age, Prof Behera said.
Recently, the research team had discovered items belonging to a 4500-year-old civilisation on the shores of Chilika. A few weeks earlier, the team had discovered an ancient idol of lord Buddha with a seven-head snake from Govindapur near Banapur in Khordha district.