RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMME

• In recognition to the contribution in the field, several institutions have collaborative research programme with the Department :

• Birbal Sahani Institute of Palaeobotany. Lucknow for archaeolobotanical studies.

• Deccan College PGRI, Pune in Archaeology

• Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur for Archaeometallurgical & other studies (short projects).

• Department of Mining & Metallurgy for Ancient Mining & Metallurgy.

• Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, UK for ArchaeologicalGeography of the Ganga Plains and the Deccan Routes.

• UKIERI collaborative resech programme with theUniversity of Cambridge.

SPECIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME & ASIHSS

The Department of AIHC & Archaeology, as stated earlier, was selected by the UGC as a Department of Special Assistance way back in 1990. Recently, we again got the 3rd Phase of SAP in January 2005. In addition to the SAP, the Department has been awarded the UGC Assistance for Strengthening of the Infrastructure of the Humanities & Social Sciences (ASIHSS) Programme in April 2005. 

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME OF DEPARTMENTAL MUSEUM

Department has a small archaeological museum displaying antiquities recovered through explorations and excavations conducted by the faculty members. Considering our rich collections, recently, Ministry of Culture, Government of India has awarded a grant of Rs. 10 Lakhs (approx.) for the development of the museum in the Department.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD RESEARCHES

Department is actively engaged in archaeological field researches since last five decades as a result a number of archaeological sites have been explored and an appreciable number of sites have been excavated. Explorations were carried out by the faculty members mostly in the area of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Sothern Bihar and in Vindhyan foothills. Some explorations works have also been undertaken in the area of Western Uttar Pradesh  ( MAP-1)

                                      MAP-1                                                                       MAP-2
   

LIST OF SITES EXCAVATED BY THE DEPARTMENT ( MAP-2)

RECENT FIELD RESEARCHES

EXCAVATIONS AT ANAI (District-Varanasi)

The ancient settlement of Anai (Lat. 250 27' 5'' N;Long. 820 44' 20'' E) is located, about 35 Km northwest of district headquarter in Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh. The Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Banaras Hindu University carried out one session excavation in 2004-05 under the direction of Prof. Vibha Tripathi. The work was assisted by Dr. R.N. Singh, Dr. Prabhakar Upadhyay, Dr. A.K. Singh, Sri Surendra Yadav, Dr. S.K. Singh and Ashok K. Mujmule. The excavation was of a preliminary nature. Its main object was to obtain the cultural sequence of remoter areas of Middle Ganga Plain especially along minor tributaries of River Ganga. The excavation revealed a settlement with its antiquity going back to at least as early as 900 BC.

EXCAVATIONS AT ANAI (District-Varanasi)

EXCAVATIONS AT AGIABIR (District-Mirjapur)

The ancient settlement of Agiabir (Latitude 25 13' 52" N ; Longitude 82 38' 41" E ) was discovered in 1998 - 99 ( Singh 1998 - 99 ) and it has been subjected to excavation for the past three field seasons ( 1999 - 2001 ) by the Banaras Hindu University It is located on the left bank of the Ganga, near Katka railway station on the Varanasi � Allahabad section of the Northern Railway in district Mirzapur of Uttar Pradesh.

The settlement extends over an area of more than a kilometre along the river and has been partly eroded by it. The main mound alone measures about 500 m x 500 m. Excavation was carried out in the western part of the settlement (ABR - 1 ) and in the eastern part of the main mound (ABR - 2 ) during 1998 - 99 and a interim report has already been published..

The excavation yielded the following culture sequence :

• Period I : Narhan Culture

• Period II : Pre NBP with Iron

• Period III : NBP

• Period IV : Sunga - Kushana

• Period V : Gupta and post Gupta

Further excavations at Agiabir has been resumed during the session 2005-06 under the direction of Prof. Vibha Tripathi with a view to ascertain still earlier phase at the site and to verify the position of the metal objects recovered earlier.

EXCAVATIONS AT AGIABIR (District-Mirjapur)

TRIAL EXCAVATIONS AT RAMNAGAR (District-Varanasi)

The Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Banaras Hindu University carried out trial excavations in 2004-05 under the direction of Prof. Vidula Jayaswal. The excavation revealed evidence of BSW & NBPW deposits. The current excavation (2005-06) may throw a welcome light on history of ancient Varanasi, the earliest living city on earth.

EXPLORATIONS ALONG THE GOMATI RIVER

The Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Banaras Hindu University carried out exploration along Gomati river in 2004-05 under the direction of Prof. Vibha Tripathi. The work was assisted by Dr. R.N. Singh, Dr. Prabhakar Upadhyay, Arun Kumar Pandey, Ram Badan, Shiv Kumar and Barun Kumar Sinha. A wide area falling in Ghazipur, Varanasi and Jaunpur Districts was explored. Quite an appreciable number of Protohistoric, Shung-Kushana and Gupta period settlements have been brought to light. Among these noteworthy sites are: Koelan in Dobhi block, Jaunpur (Black-and-Red Ware, Black Slipped Ware, Red Ware and Shunga-Kushana pottery, iron slag etc.), Barahpur in Dobhi block, Jaunpur (Black-and-Red Ware, Black Slipped Ware, Red Ware and Shunga-Kushana pottery, iron slag etc.), Balrampur (Red Ware, Shunga-Kushana pottery, Early Medieval sculpture, iron slag etc.).

                  

    "STUDIES IN ANCIENT MINING & METALLURGY IN SONBHADRA-SIDHI REGION"

The project is focused on ancient techniques of mining and metallurgy along with archaeological evidence in Sonbhadra-Sidhi region. The region is iron rich in archaeological parlance, which produced evidence of iron smelting in the first half

of second millennium B.C. Since then iron smelting has been prevalent till recently in this region. Heaps of iron slag found scattered in most part of the region bear testimony to this. Extensive field investigation of Sonbhadra and Sidhi districts brought to light numerous iron smelting sites and some newer iron bearing areas. Iron ore deposits in this region are scattered over a large but shallow way. Some parts of the region are densely occupied by the Agaria tribe, the traditional ironworkers. In course of interactions with research team the Agarias admitted that though they are no longer smelting iron from the ore, with some efforts they can re-start production of iron. Presently the research team is engaged in studying the sample collected during the field survey. The research team comprises Prof. Vibha Tripathi (Principal Investigator) Prof. R.C. Gupta (Co-Investigator, Dept. of Metallurgical Engineering), Prof. B.K. Srivastava (Co-Investigator, Dept. of Mining Engineering), Dr. Prabhakar Upadhyay (Senior Research Fellow), Ashok K. Mujmule (Junior Research Fellow) and Govindam Srivastava (Project Assistant).

                               DIGITALISATION OF GUPTA TEMPLE AT BHITARI, Ghazipur

Prof. Vidula Jayaswal of the Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Banaras Hindu University has undertaken the digitalisation of Gupta temple of Bhitari in collaboration with the scientists of Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. This could be taken to the first ever project of its kind involving experts in civil engineering of IIT & archaeologists.