1996-97 - Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany

1996-97
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Carhonised remains of : I. Garlic (Allium sativum) cloves from Mature-liarappan period (2.000­
1.700 B.C.); and 2. Chebulic-mymbolan (Terl1linlllia chebula) from Pre-Ilarappan period (2.300-2,000 B.C.)
al Halu. lIaryana (scClle in mm).
Visited an excavation site at Imlidih-Khurd, district Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh
and collected botanical remains from the deposits of early Chalcolithic Culture. Also
an excavation site at Waina, district Ballia, Uttar Pradesh was visited and collected
ancient plant remains from Iron-Age Culture.
K.S. Saraswat
& A.K.S. Pokharia
An extensive collection of carbonized remai ns of seedsand fruits made tIu'ough
excavations of Pre-Harappan and Mature-Harappan deposits on a mound in Balu Village,
Kaithal District, Haryana, in order to reconstruct the model of the utilization of botanical
resources for subsistence and other purposes. Barley (Hordeum vulgare), dwarf-wheat
(Triticum sphaerococcum), bread-wheat (Triticum aestivum), rice (Oryza sativa), horsegram
(Do/ichos biJlorus) and green-gram (Viglla radiata) have been found to be the
common field-crops grown by Pre-Harappans during 2300-2000 Be. Seeds of Vida
sativa, a weed in the winter leguminous-crop fields, arc also encountered. Fruit remains
include melon (Cuculllis cf. melo), water-melon (Citrul/us lanatus), Wild-jujube
(Ziziphus Ilummularia) and ehebulic-myrobalan (Terminalia chebula).
During the subsequelll phase of Mature-Harappan Culture (2000-1700 BC), in
addition to the Pre-Harappan field-crop remains, naked-barley (Hordeulll vulgare val'.
nl/dum), field-pea (Pisul/l arvense), grass-pea(Lathyrus salivus), lentil (Lens cu/illaris),
chick-pea/gram (Cicer arietillum), til (Sesamulll indicllln) and Egyptian clover (Trifolium
alexandril1l/m) have also been recovered which suggest a rich and varied crop economy.
Seedsof kundru (Coccinia cordijolia) suggest the useof fruits of Ihis common climbing
cucurbit in wild state, for green vegetable. There is definite evidence oflhe consumption
of fruits, furnished by the seeds of wild-jujube (Ziziphus Ill/mmu/aria), date (Phoenix
sp.) and grape (Vitis villijera). The most outweighing discovery from Harappan Balu
i ncl udes a few pieces of cloves of garlic (AI/iulll sativum). Garlic's precise origin, most
likely in Central Asia, predates the written history. It is discovered for the first time in
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