Palaeoethnobotanical and palaeoecological investigations based on plant remains from Neolithic-Chalcolithic Tokwa, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

The investigations of carbonized remains from an ancient site, Tokwa on the confluence of Belan and Adwa rivers in Mirzapur District of Uttar Pradesh, have brought to light the agriculture based subsistence economy during the Neolithic and Chalcolithic cultures. The crop-remains are represented by Oryza sativa, Triticum aestivum, Hordeum vulgare, Lens culinaris, Pisum arvense, Lathyrus sativus, Vigna radiata, Macrotyloma uniflorum, Linum usitatissimum and Brassica juncea. Remains of weeds and wild taxa recovered as an admixture are denotative of the surrounding ground vegetation. The anatomical investigation of wood charcoals revealed the trees of Tectona grandis, Syzygium cf. cumini, Streblus cf. asper, Dalbergia sp., Madhuca indica and Bambusa sp. On the grounds of these remains some consideration has been weighed upon the ecological conditions of the surrounding.