A MULTIDIMENSIONAL APPROACH IN THE STUDY OF PALAEOLITHIC OCCURRENCES IN THE THAR DESERT: IMPLICATION OF PREDICTIVE AND ANALYTICAL MODELLING IN SITE DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS AND LITHIC MATERIAL VARIABILITYc

Abstract

The Thar Desert has witnessed some of the rare preserved Palaeolithic cultural assemblages of South Asia. This research confirms the presence of Palaeolithic sites from previously unknown regions and their firm associations with the palaeogeographic landscape. This study commences with analysing spatial distribution of the previously known Palaeolithic sites and their geographical context to identify new sites within a broader region. The prime objective of this research was to locate stratified Palaeolithic sites towards the hyper-arid zone of the desert, specifically in Western Rajasthan, to understand the nature of sporadically occurring surface scatters there. The methods include a series of multidisciplinary field surveys which covered about sixty thousand sq. km area at varying intensities, concentrating on the pockets of the desert's semi-arid eastern margin around the Didwana Palaeolithic Complex (Nagaur District) and the core arid zone in Jaisalmer District. The research addresses the widespread debate surrounding early human migration from Africa to mainland India. The modern human migration to India during the Marine Isotope Stage 5e (MIS 5e) is hypothesised to have proceeded through the Northwest Corridor, which places the selected study area along the potentially significant dispersal route, previously underestimated due to present geographic conditions and the absence of sites. Recent studies on Acheulean-Middle Palaeolithic cultural transitions have made the region much more important from a perspective of prehistoric human dispersals. However, the Palaeolithic antiquities of the greater Thar Desert go back to 250k years (Singhvi et al., 2010; Blinkhorn et al., 2021) and postulated up to the Early Middle Pleistocene (Kailath et al., 2000; Gaillard et al., 2009). IV In contrast, the area under investigation has not had any securely dated Palaeolithic site since the earliest discoveries in the Luni Valley (Misra, 1962) and Jodhpur (Mohapatra et al., 1963). However, it was subject to a series of investigations in the 70s and 80s until very recently, and only the number of surface sites increased with expeditions (e.g., Mishra et al., 1993 and Deotare et al., 1998). Similarly, Palaeolithic sites have been discovered in Sindh (Pakistan), ranging from Acheulean onwards (e.g., P. Biagi 1996 and 2009). Moreover, palaeoenvironmental studies are also limited to the Late Pleistocene in general. The Luni is the only river flowing seasonally, preserving fluvial sediment records up to the Middle Pleistocene (Jain et al., 1999). The objective of selecting this area was to look at the geographical gap between the Palaeolithic site clusters of Sindh (Rohari) and Central Rajasthan (Didwana), both respectively flanking the western and eastern margins of the Thar Desert. As a result of explorations, about fifty new localities/sites have been identified extending from the eastern margins (Nagaur) to the core arid (Jaisalmer) and in associated areas (of Jodhpur, Barmer, Bikaner, Jalore and Pali District). The lithic artefacts predominantly occur within surface contexts, but notably, they are also exceptionally found in association with stratified layers, fossilised bones, ostrich eggshells, and stratified mollusc shells. The cultural material includes Acheulean bifaces in a semi-primary context and a diverse collection of artefacts such as tanged points, Levallois elements, diminutive handaxes, and micro-Levallois cores. The overall study suggests the plausibility of human adaptation to the arid zones, explicitly pointing to potential long-term hominin habitation in the core arid regions of the Thar Desert during the Palaeolithic Phase. While these results do not offer a definitive conclusion on this V broad issue, they provide reasonable answers to some essential queries related to sporadic lithic scatters previously recorded throughout the desert landscape. This study employed a multidimensional approach to achieve comprehensive results. It began with spatial analysis (e.g., cluster analysis) and field investigation further extended to GIS modelling and statistical tests. Field data underwent a rigorous analytical process that included innovative methods of documentation. The process enables detailed quantification of the lithic artefacts' attributes, incorporating advanced computing methods for precise interpretation and data visualisation.