Illustrations: 45 Figures Description: For a number of reasons the archaeology of the Chhotanagpur plateau and its extension up to the edge of the Bhagirathi plain in West Bengal deserves more than a passing mention in Indian archaeology. First, its sheer geographical extent requires emphasis: more than a hundred thousand square kilometres spread diagonally between the hills overlooking the Ganges near Rajmahal to the hills in southwestern Singhbhum on the one hand and between the northwesternmost part of Palamau to the Sonamukhi and Garh Jaipur forests in the eastern section of Bankura on the other. Secondly, the entire region is full of archaeological sites from the lower palaeolithic stage onwards, and some of the major issues of cultural development in eastern India are centred around them. Thirdly, the plateau which is rich in metals, stones and timber is the most important resource-bearing area in east India, and the way in which it was integrated into an exchange network with the plains may be a major archaeological and historic theme of study. Fourthly, the region as a whole is a home of a large number of tribal communities on various levels of subsistence and with different linguistic affiliations. Early this century a government officer wrote that it was as near as one could get to 'primitive India' but does this 'primitiveness' mean that this was an 'area of isolation' cut off from the main flow of Indian history? Which areas of study admit of the possibilities of ethnographic continuum between the prehistoric past and in the preindustrial present in this region? Based on field-surveys undertaken between 1981 and 1987, this work studies the archaeology of this region as a whole. Archaeological research in this region goes back to the 1860s but it is perhaps for the first time that the region as a whole has been studied and various dimensions of its archaeology focussed. This is also one of the major attempts to view archaeology as long-term settlement history in the context of India.

The book highlights the emperical work in diverse archaeological areas of Eastern india & deals with related problems of the region. Like new.

Description: Archaeology is a neglected field of study in eastern India. However, the area from Arunachal to Orissa and Bihar covers a very large chunk of the subcontinent and is also along its most distinctive cultural areas. From this point of view the establishment of a new archaeological research institute, Centre for Archaeological Studies and Training, in Calcutta by the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Bengal, is a welcome development. In September 1996 the author who possesses a grassroots familiarity with the issues facing archaeological research in this region delivered a number of lectures at the invitation of this institute. The purpose of these lectures was to assess the current status of archaeological knowledge about east India and highlight some of its research priorities. The picture has been portrayed as objectively as possible and may help in the planning of archaeological research in this part of India.

The book is a multi-disciplinary approach and has as its the objective the reconstruction of the subsistence strategies and way of life of the prehistoric communities in Northeast India and their movements, dispersals and settlements. This evidence is gathered from ecological, ethnographical, anthropological and genetic sciences to inspire an interpretation of the available archaeological data for examining linguistic hypotheses of early migration and dispersals ofpeople in this region.

The book is an exhaustive study of the archaeology of Guwahati from the 5th century A.D.to the end of the pre-colonial period in Assam. The history of the city is traced based primarily on itsmaterial remains, inscriptions, coins and sculptures. Pragjyotispura was the ancient name of Guwahati and it was the capital of the legendary Naraka, thebuilder of the original Kamakhya temple. Scholars,and students will benefit from its study

This book charts the flow of India's grass-roots archaeological history in all its continuities and diversities from its Palaeolithic beginnings to AD 300. The second edition includes a new afterword which discusses all new ideas and discoveries in Indian archaeology in the past one decade.

Contributed articles chiefly on archaeology and history, from prehistoric to early historic period.