Palaeolithic investigations at Morpani, Central Narmada Basin, India

Abstract

Morpani is a recently discovered Palaeolithic complex in the central Narmada Basin (Madhya Pradesh, India), discovered during the course of field investigations carried out by the Narmada Basin Palaeoanthropology Project. This site is situated in a region of the Gondwana Supergroup formations, south of the Narmada River. Regions to the north of the river, dominated by rock outcrops of the Vindhyan Supergroup formation present a multitude of Palaeolithic sites, in stark contrast to the southern region, dominated by the Gondwana Supergroup and Deccan Trap formations. This site is one of the few Palaeolithic sites in this southern region, and this paper reports on the recent Palaeolithic investigations undertaken at the site and the results of the lithic analyses of the recovered lithic assemblage. These investigations were carried out to qualify the nature of the Palaeolithic occupation in this region, as well as probe into the possible factors for the underrepresentation of the archaeological record here, especially when juxtaposed to the rich archaeological context noted to the north of the river. Lithic analyses indicates that Morpani represents an expedient lithic assemblage, located along the banks and bed of an ephemeral stream channel, and in regions where suitable raw material clasts are available. More work and collections are needed to securely characterise and attribute the technological features of this Palaeolithic site.