Prehistoric Artifacts Found in Madhya Pradesh | 29 May 2024

Why in News?

Recently, a discovery was made in National Fossil Park at Ghugwa, Madhya Pradesh, where a team of archaeologists from Ashoka University in Sonipat, conducting research in Bandhavgarh National Park and Tiger Reserve, found prehistoric artifacts made from fossil wood.

Key Points

  • This finding indicates that prehistoric nomadic people utilized the petrified tree logs as resources for crafting their tools and objects.
  • Tools crafted from fossil wood are not common in India and are a rarity, with only a few instances found in Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Tripura.
    • While the age of the artifacts discovered at Ghugwa remains uncertain, researchers estimate they are at least 10,000 years old.
    • These artifacts consisted of mid-sized flakes measuring about five cm in length.
    • Additionally, some microliths, approximately two cm long, were also unearthed in the vicinity.
  • Madhya Pradesh has many ancient locations, such as Bhimbetka, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site, Hathnora, where the skull fragment known as the Narmada woman was discovered, in addition to sites like Neemtone, Pilikarar, and Mahadeo Piparia.
    • These areas mainly showcase tools made from materials such as quartzite, chert, and sandstone.
  • However, a recent finding in the fossil park indicates that our predecessors also made use of fossil wood, indicating that they did not rely solely on stone resources.

Ghugwa National Fossils Park

  • It is situated 70 km from Dindori in village Ghugwa.
  • It is nestled in an area of 75 acres of land where attractive and rare fossils of leaves and trees are waiting to be explored.
  • This National Park has plants in fossil form that existed in India anywhere between 40 million and 150 million years ago.

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

  • About: In 1968, it was notified as a national park and in 1993 was declared a tiger reserve- under the Project Tiger Network at the neighbouring Panpatha Sanctuary.
  • Geographical Aspect: It resides on the extreme north eastern border of Madhya Pradesh and the northern edges of the Satpura mountain ranges.
  • Climate: Tropical monsoon climatic zone.
  • Biodiversity: There is a large number of tigers in the core zone. There are more than 22 species of mammals and 250 species of birds.
    • Species Found: Asiatic Jackal, Bengal Fox, Sloth Bear, Striped Hyena, Leopard and Tiger, Wild Pigs, Nilgai, Chinkara and Gaur (a herbivore and the only coarse feeder).