Lower Palaeolithic (Acheulean) adaptations in the central Narmada Valley: New evidence from Sehore and Narmadapuram Districts, Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

Central India represents one of the plenteous Acheulean records in the Indian Subcontinent, with over 300 occurrences of various types reported thus far. According to available chronological data, this region's antiquity of Palaeolithic occupation is tentatively dated beyond 800 ka. The central Narmada Valley, in particular, is vital as it has yielded the only known archaic hominin fossils in the entire Subcontinent and probably acted as a bio-cultural crossroads throughout the Quaternary period. This study reports the findings of field surveys in the central Narmada Valley which led to the identification of 18 new Acheulean sites. The study area's richest Acheulean sites are mostly found along the foothills of the Vindhyan range or near rocky outcrops within the valley, as parts of colluvial conglomeratic fans or in regolith contexts, while smaller assemblages and find-spots are found along the banks of the Narmada River and its tributaries within cemented and unconsolidated fluvial sediments. The present research provides brief information on the distribution pattern and technology of new Acheulean sites discovered in the study area.