Posted on 09/21/2022 6:35:53 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Over the years rock carvings of a previously unknown civilisation have been found in India's western state of Maharashtra. Now, a cave in the same region is promising to shed more light on the creators of these prehistoric artworks and their lives...
The cave, located around 10km (six miles) away from Koloshi village in the Konkan region of western Maharashtra, was discovered by a group of researchers last year. Excavations earlier this year revealed several stone tools in the cave that date back tens of thousands of years...
The cave, which is situated in a secluded forest in Sindhudurg, was discovered by researchers who were studying rock carvings in nearby areas. Excavation work was conducted in two rounds, during which archaeologists dug two trenches inside the cave. Several big and small stone tools dating back to the Mesolithic period - also called the middle stone age - have been found...
Dr Parth Chauhan, an archaeologist, says chemical processes are used to analyse any residue that might be present on the edges of the artefacts. This can help determine what the object was used for...
Maharashtra's laterite-rich Konkan plateau where this cave was discovered is also a treasure trove of prehistoric art. In the past explorers have discovered rock carvings of animals, birds, human figures and geometrical designs hidden under layers of soil in several villages here.
So far, 1700 petroglyphs - or rock carvings - have been found at 132 locations in 76 villages in Sindhudurg and nearby Ratnagiri district...
He says that seals of the Harappan civilisation - one of the oldest civilisations in human history that flourished in the Indian subcontinent - also depict the close relationship man shared with animals...
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
They stalked animals, both food and predators (for scavenging). My wild guess is, that's where a load of herbal medicine got its start -- mimicking the animals' "instinctive" use of various plants.
The tough part back then was receiving their Menard’s rebates on stuff — no postal service.
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