Wari-Bateshwar

Bangladesh · Dhaka Division, Narsingdi

Ancient cityIntermittent excavation
Approximate period400 BCE — 100 BCEEarly Historic period; earlier and medieval phases have also been reported See on the map ↓

In brief

Fortifications, roads and early historic settlement remains have been excavated at Wari-Bateshwar. Beads, coins and pottery indicate extensive trade connections; the main early historic occupation dates to the 4th–1st centuries BCE.

What was found?

  • 1Punch-marked coins

    Metal coins with marks punched onto them. They provide concrete evidence for studying the use of money and economic relationships in the Early Historic settlement.

  • 2Worked agate beads

    Production waste and undrilled pieces were recovered alongside beads, including examples with white patterns. These document stone craftsmanship; according to researchers, similar examples indicate interregional trade connections.

  • 3Northern Black Polished Ware

    A pottery group recognised by its distinctive glossy surface. It helps assess the settlement's relationship with material traditions in northern India.

  • 4Iron axes and knives

    Iron tools found in Early Historic layers. They show that iron formed part of the settlement's tool assemblage.

  • 5Charred rice remains

    Rice grains and spikelet bases were separated from soil samples. These remains, which document the cultivation of domesticated rice, enabled the direct study of agriculture.

What does it point to?

Wari-Bateshwar points to a settlement supported by agriculture, where money was used and stone-working was practised. According to researchers, similarities in beads and pottery connect it to exchange networks between South and Southeast Asia.

What did it teach us?

  1. The discovery of bead production waste showed that stone-working took place in the settlement.
  2. Plant remains enabled the agricultural economy to be studied directly through its crops.
  3. Domesticated rice was documented as one of the main elements of Early Historic food production.

Images

Wari-Bateshwar Museum, Narsingdi, Bangladesh 01
Redmin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Latest news / selected archive

An archaeobotanical study published in 2020 reported remains of domesticated rice and various crops from the site, together with direct radiocarbon dates.

Record

Culture
Early historic Bengal
First modern dig
2000
Team / historical
Jahangirnagar Üniversitesi arkeoloji ekipleri
Coordinates
24.0929°, 90.8255°

Sources

  1. ancient-asia-journal.com
  2. link.springer.com
  3. bengalart.org

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