Some pits were shallower, with depth of about 91 cm (as opposed to 3.95 meters depth) and were possibly either storage pits or those used as dwellings during warmer period. The pits had steps that led to the bottom. Q4: Pit- house have been constructed to get protection from the cold temperatures. [16], The remarkable find during this period was of pits which were inferred as dwelling units; these were in circular or oval shape dug in compact natural Karewa soil formation. This layer also yielded few copper arrowheads, black-ware pottery, a dish with a hollow stand, globular pot, jar, stem with triangular perforations, a funnel-shaped vase, a wheel made red ware pot with contained 950 beads, beads of areore, agate and carnelian and painted pots, the latter could have been an evidence of a trade. Ans. Why did the ancient people make such type of pit houses? The elevation of the site is 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) above sea-level. Oval pits were dug into the house floor and were plastered with lime and bodies were placed with red-ochre on the bones. [3][11], Pottery finds showed better finish compared to the earlier Period I. People of those times used to dig shallow pits in the soil and live in them. ii) They found bones of domesticated animals like dogs, cattle, sheep, ox, etc. The carving on one is not distinct. Skeletal remains of Neolithic people found at Burzahom are similar to those found in Harappa of the Indus Valley Civilization. Criteria (ii): The Neolithic property at Burzahom provides a detailed insight into the material equipment of the Neolithic people when they even did not have invented technique of pottery manufacturing. Burzahom's ceramic industry was mostly of hunting based culture and is different from the Chinese Neolithic pottery. In the Period II, the finds excavated revealed that people had moved out from pit dwelling to structures built at the ground level. © UNESCO World Heritage Centre 1992-2021 [3][11][19][7], Agricultural practices were noted during the Periods I and II and crops grown were inferred as wheat, barley and lentil; finding lentils established a link of the Neolithic people with Central Asia, crossing over the Himalayas. The detail study of the material culture, palaeo-climate, flora, and fauna, micro-wear studies, and other multidisciplinary studies has provided an opportunity to understand and analyse the interaction of the Neolithic population of Burzahom with the Himalayan hinterland and the riverine sites of West Asia. [6], The first excavation at the Burzahom site was a limited exercise in 1936, carried out by the Yale–Cambridge Expedition headed by Helmut de Terra and Dr. Thomson Paterson. The material culture recovered constitutes of a gritty red ware pottery, manufactured in potters wheel, metal objects and few tools made of bone and stone continued. True/False. a pit-house is frequently called a sunken featured building and occasionally (grub-)hut or grubhouse, after the German name Grubenhaus. The Burzahom archaeological site is located in the Kashmir Valley of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. True. [11], The people who resided here were characterized as "long headed dolichocranic". The Burzahom site is a prehistoric settlement in the village of the same name in the Srinagar District. The earliest Neolithic homes at Burzahom were pits dug below ground level using The sides of the pits were plastered with mud. In Burzahom (in present-day Kashmir) people built pit-houses, which were dug into the ground, with steps leading into them. Q6: Burial is an arrangement for _____. The core aspects of the Burzahom Neolithic seem to have originated and organically evolved on the soil of Kashmir, and bear an exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition which has now largely disappeared. Post holes on the sides of pits at the surface level denoted the presence of superstructures covered with thatch made of birch. They have been found in Burzahom. Both human and animal skeletons were found in deep oval shaped pits, located either below the floors of the dwelling units or in its precincts. It is 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) to the northwest of Srinagar on the Naseem-Shalimar road. People in Burzahom lived in rectangular houses. Shallow pits of circular shape of 60–91 centimetres (24–36 in) diameter adjoining the housing pits were found to contain bones of animals and also tools made of bones (of antlers used for making tools) and stones (harpoons, needles with or without eyes, awls). Authenticity: The remains in the Neolithic site of Burzahom narrates the cultural sequence of human habitation from 3000 BCE to 1000 BCE (Periods I and II belong to the Neolithic period, Period III to the Megalithic period, and Period IV to the Early Historical period (or Post-megalithic period). The large cache of tools and implements made of bone and stone found at the site shows that the inhabitants were hunting and farming. [3][11], Carbon dating established that the Neolithic culture of this site was traceable to the 3rd millennium BC, the earliest occupation at the site was dated to before 2,357 BC. Q7: Name the place where several burial sites had been found. Each pit is protected and retains its physical stability, demonstrating types of spaces devised by Neolithic society. More Contacts Site Map Become a member Donate Now! Above the pit is a superstructure that might consist of low earthen walls built from the excavated soil; stone foundations with brush walls; or posts with wattle and daub chinking. Q5: Name One of the important occupations taken up by the tribes of Middle Stone Age. [11], This site was nominated on 15 April 2014 for inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is yet to be approved.[11]. Click to see full answer Just so, where are pit houses found? Ans. The results of excavations have provided dynamics of interchange of ideas between central Asia and South West Asia through the valley of Kashmir which acted as  a bridge between higher Himalayas and beyond on the one hand, and Gangetic plains and peninsular India on the other hand during the third millennium B.C. Draw a pit house. The detail study of the material culture, palaeo-climate, flora, and fauna, micro-wear studies, and other multidisciplinary studies has provided an opportunity to understand and analyse the interaction of the Neolithic population of Burzahom with the Himalayan hinterland and the riverine sites of West Asia. [11][13] The skeletal remains of the Neolithic humans found at Burzahom are similar to those found in Harappa of the Indus Valley Civilization. [3], The site is maintained in the form that has been excavated, representing the natural setting of the Neolithic people. In the next stage (Ceramic Neolithic/Period II) structures in mud or mud bricks with regular floors made of rammed karewa soil, often reusing erstwhile pits by filling in with mud and finished by plastering a layer of mud, covered with a thin coat of red ochre as well as timbre showing evolution in construction techniques. Evidence of the “aceramic Neolithic” stage is reported at Gufkral, another site in the Kashmir region, which has been dated by radiocarbon to… The Burzahom site revealed the transition from the subterranean and ground level housing features of the Neolithic people to the mudbrick structures of the Megalithic people. Archaeologists have also found cooking hearths both inside and outside the huts, which suggests that, depending on the weather, people could cook food either indoors or outdoors These may have provided shelter in cold weather. Burzahom represents the southernmost extent of what is known as Northern Neolithic culture of Asia. The range of tools recovered from the site shows the evolution in tool making Neolithic men skilled hunters and their knowledge in applying the implements for cultivation. Consider the … Publications World Heritage Review Series Resource Manuals World Heritage wall map More publications ... Funding World Heritage Fund International Assistance. 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