Chalcolithic Communities of non-Harappan India

The important non-Harappan chalcolithic cultures lay mainly in western India and Deccan. These include Banas culture (2600 BC - 1900 BC) in south-east Rajasthan, with Ahar near Udaipur and Gilund as its key-sites; Kayatha culture (2100 BC - 2000 BC) with Kayatha in Chambal as its chief site in Madhya Pradesh; Malwa Culture (1700 BC - 1400 BC) with Navdatoli in Western Madhya Pradesh as an important site, and Jorwe culture (1400 BC - 700 BC) with Inamgaon and Chandoli near Pune in Maharashtra as its chief centres.

The evidence of the chalcolithic cultures also comes from eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal. The non-Harappan Chalcolithic cultures though flourished in different regions they were marked by basic uniformity in various aspects such as their mud structures, farming and hunting activities, use of wheel made pottery, etc.

The pottery of these chalcolithic cultures included ochre coloured pottery (OCP), black-and-red ware (BRW) and has been found in the shape of various kinds of bowls, basins, spouted jars with concave necks, dishes on stand, etc.

Tools and Implements

The chalcolithic cultures are characterised by the use of tools made of copper as well as stone. They used chalcedony, chert, etc. for making stone tools. The major tools used were long parallel-sided blades, pen knives, lunates, triangles, and trapezes.

Some of the blade tools were used in agriculture. Main copper objects used include flat axes, arrowheads, spearheads, chisels, fishhooks, swords, blades, bangles, rings and beads.

Beads made of carnelian, jasper, chalcedony, agate, shell, etc. frequently occur in excavations. In this context, the findings from Daimabad hoard are noteworthy. The discovery includes bronze rhinoceros, elephant, two-wheeled chariot with a rider and a buffalo. These are massive and weigh over sixty kilograms. From Kayatha (Chambal valley) also copper objects with sharp cutting edges have been recovered. These reflect the skills of the craftsmen of the period.

Subsistence Economy

The people of these settlements subsisted on agriculture and cattle rearing. However, they also practised hunting and fishing. The main crops of the period include, rice, barley, lentils, wheat, jawar, coarse gram, pea, green gram, etc.

Major parts of this culture flourished in the zone of black soil, useful mainly for growing cotton. Skeletal remains from the sites suggest the presence of domesticated and wild animals in these cultures.

The important domesticated animals were cattle, sheep, goat, dog, pig, horse, etc. The wild animals included black buck, antelope, nilgai, barasinga, sambar, cheetah, wild buffalo and one-horn rhino. The bones of fish, water fowl, turtle and rodents were also discovered.

Houses and Habitations

The Chalcolithic cultures were characterised by rural settlements. The people lived in rectangular and circular houses with mud walls and thatched roofs. Most of the houses were single roomed but some had two or three rooms. The floors were made of burnt clay or clay mixed with river gravels.

More than 200 sites of Jorwe culture (Maharashtra) have been found. The settlements at Inamgaon (Jorwe culture) suggests that some kind of planning was adopted in laying of the settlement.