Iron Using Cultures - Iron Age

Iron Using Cultures - Iron Age

The names of the cultures associated with the Iron Age are—Painted Grey Ware (PGW) Culture, Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) Culture, and Megalith Culture (South India). These cultures are called 'Iron-using Cultures'.

1. Painted Grey Ware (PGW) Culture: 1,000 BC – 600 BC

• The specific identity of this culture is—painted pottery of grey colour.

• The potteries of this culture are made from a potter's wheel.

• The period of this culture is accepted as 1,000 BC–600 BC.

• The extension of this culture is found in the Upper Gangetic Valley with the doab (Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh & Northern Rajasthan).

2. Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) Culture: 600 BC – 300 BC

• The specific identity of this culture is—polished pottery of black colour.

• Since in the beginning such type of potteries were found in Northern India, this name was given to this culture, and this name has remained in practice.

• The period of this culture is accepted as 600 BC–300 BC.

• This culture is extended from the Northern plains to Mid India (Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar & West Bengal) and in the Deccan (Andhra Pradesh, etc.).

3. Megalith Culture of South India: 1,000 BC – 100 AD

Although megalith graves or memorials are found in South India along with North India & Vidarbha, when in Indian History we say 'Megalith Culture,' then it has a general meaning—Megalith Culture of South India.

• The English word 'Megalith' is the combination of two Greek words: Mega (Huge) and Lith (Stone).

• Thu, the meaning of Megalith in the present context is—Graves or memorials made from large pieces of stone.

• Megaliths were made either as a grave for burying the dead person or as a memorial to commemorate the dead person.

Since Megalith is the specific identity of this culture, this culture was named 'Megalith Culture'.

Key Excavations and Archaeologists

• In 1851 & 1862, Colonel Meadows Taylor published the descriptions of the excavations of Megalith graves/memorials of Shorapur doab situated in Gulbarga district of Karnataka state.

• Archaeologist Alexander Rea excavated two megalith sites:

  • Adichchannalur, situated on the bank of the Tamraparni river in the Tirunelavely district of Tamil Nadu, from 1889 to 1905

  • Perumbur from 1904 to 1908

• In 1947, archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler excavated Brahmagiri, situated in the Chitradurga district of Karnataka state.

Important Sites of Megalith Culture

Characteristics of Megalith Culture

The chief characteristics of Megalith culture are as follows:

Burial Practices

• In megalith culture, there were two types of burial practices: Fractional/Partial and Complete/Extensive burial practices.

Fractional/Partial Burial Practice

• Under the fractional burial practice, the selected bones of a dead person were buried in the grave.

• It seems that they left the dead person in an open space where the flesh of the dead person was eaten by birds and animals, and after that, the remaining bones were selected and placed in the grave.

• This burial practice was very prevalent in the Megalithic Culture.

Complete/Extensive Burial Practice

• In some places like Nagarjunikonda, Maski, Adichchannallur, etc., the examples of complete burials are found.

• In complete burial practice, the dead persons were placed in East-West order (i.e., head towards the East and feet towards the West).

• Under complete burial practice corpse of an old male or female was buried in the graves that were dug in the ground.

• In grave pottery, implements, et, were placed as grave goods besides the corpse.

• Corpses of small babies were completely buried after placing them into an urn/pot (Urn Pot Burial). T

• he evidence of urn/pot burials is found in the region, Chingelpattu, etc. Of Tamil Nadu.

Grave Goods

• The earthenware vessel, iron implements, etc., were grave goods.

• The grave goods were placed either inside the graves beside the corpses or outside the graves beside the memorials.

Types of Megalith (Graves/Memorials made from large pieces of stone)

In South India, about 40 types of Megalith are found wh which range from the single standing stone to rock-cut caves are included.

The important types of Megalith are:

1. Menhir

• In such a type of grave/memorial, a large stone column is erected on the grave.

• The length of such a stone is more than 1.5 meters.

• In the local language, Menk is called 'Nadu-Kal'. Such types of graves/memorials are found in the regions of Maski and Gulbarga.

2. Hood Stone

• In such a type of grave/memorial, round round-shaped stone is obversely placed on the grave.

• Such types of grave/memorial look like a hood of the snail; therefore, it is named 'Hood Stone'.

• In the local language of South India, Hood Stone is called 'Kudai Kal'.

• Such type of grave memorial is found in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

3. Umbrella Stone

• In such a type of grave/memorial large stone column is erected on the grave, and then upon this, an umbrella-shaped stone is placed.

• Since such a type of grave/memorial looks like an umbrella from a long distance, it is named 'Umbrella Stone'.

• In the local language of South India, Umbrella Stone is called 'Topi-Kal'.

• Such types of graves/memorials are found in Ariyanna and Chermangarh in Kerala state.

4. Dolmen

• Dolmen is a word from the Celtic language. Dolmen means "Table of Stone".

• Since such a type of grave memorial looks like a rectangular stone table from a distance, it is named 'Dolmen'.

• The examples of dolmens are found in Brahmagiri of Karnataka and Chingelpattu of Tamil Nadu.

5. Cairn Circle

• In such a type of grave/memorial, pieces of stone are set in a circular shape around the grave.

• Since such a type of grave/memorial looks like a circular ring of stones, it is named 'Cairn Circle'.

• In the Tamil language Cairn Circle is called 'Nidai Kal Teddi'.

• Such types of graves/memorials are found in Chingelpattu of Tamil Nadu.

6. Rock-cut Caves

• In the making of such a type of grave/memorial, firstly, laterite rocks of hills are cut in the form of a cave, and after that, the corpse of the dead person is placed in the cave, and finally, the mouth of the cave is closed.

• It is called 'Tadi' cave. Such types of graves/memorials are found in Kattakampal of Cochin district and Porkalam of Trichur district of Kerala.

Potteries

• The black and red wares are found in almost every grave/memorial site and welling places of Megalith Culture of South India.

• All the interior parts and neck parts of potteries are painted in black colour, whereas the rest of the outer parts of the potteries are painted in red colour.

• The important vessels of Black-Red Pottery tradition are shallow plate, deep bowl, cover with knob, small pot, big pot etc.

Iron Implements

• Approx innately 33 types of iron implements are found from graves/memorial sites and welling places of Megalith culture of South India.

• The important iron implements are flataxes, spades, sickles, chisels, hatchets, knives, bridles (of horse), horseshoes, tridents, swords, daggers, etc.

Makers of Megalith Culture

• Who were the makers of the Megalith Culture of South India-it is a controversial issue.

• According to Local/Indian Origin Theory, the makers of this culture were local men who were Dravidian.

• According to Alien/Foreign Origin Theory, the makers of this culture were foreigners who had come to this region from the Mediterranean Sea.

Pottery/Earthenware Vessel Culture

• Pottery means Vessels made from clay.

• The nomenclature of Pottery Culture is dependent on specific elements (colour, polish, figure, etc) of vessels of that culture.

• The particular element is the basic identity of that culture

• The earliest evidences of the use of pottery are found at Chopanimando (Allahabad district, Uttar Pradesh) in the world.

Pottery Cultures of the Indian Sub-continent

Final Thoughts

The Iron Age in India was marked by the emergence of distinct cultural traditions—Painted Grey Ware (PGW), Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW), and the Megalith Culture of South India.

Each of these cultures displayed unique characteristics in pottery, burial practices, and material culture. The PGW and NBPW cultures are recognized for their finely crafted pottery, reflecting advancements in craftsmanship and settlement organization in Northern India.

Meanwhile, the Megalith Culture, notable for its monumental stone graves and diverse burial customs, dominated the southern landscape. These cultures collectively represent the transition to a more complex, iron-using society in ancient India, offering valuable insights into early technological, social, and religious developments.