4,000-year-old site found in UP

It is said that discoveries just happen, you don’t plan them. Literally by chance a rural acrobat from Auraiya stumbles upon the ancient copper site, reports RK Singh.

It is said that discoveries just happen, you don’t plan them. So is the case here with the State Archaeology Department. It is now planning to dig up a 4,000-year-old civilisation buried in Udaipurwa village in Auraiya district.

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It was literally by chance that a rural acrobat while walking in the fields stumbled upon some metallic objects lying on the ground. Curiosity prompted him to dig the spot that revealed a hoard of copper artefacts. Realising the value of the stuff, he quickly collected them and left the spot in a hush without informing anyone.

But luck did not favour him as some villagers noticed his activities and informed the local police. Police immediately swung into action and raided his hideout. Police seized the articles and kept it in the store of the Bidhuna police station.

Additional District Magistrate of Auraiya realised that the articles seized by the police was of historical importance and he informed that Rakesh Tiwari, Director, Directorate of Archaeology about the ancient treasure.

Assistant Archaeological Officer Nar Singh Tyagi visited Budhina to inspect the findings. Tyagi submitted his report to the Director and a senior officer RK Srivastava was dispatched to explore the area.

Talking to Hindustan Times, Tiwari said the exploration of the site showed that the spot from where the copper hoard was found is a part of an ancient site located near River Arind, a tributary of River Yamuna. Local farmers carry out cultivation over the land. The exposed section in which the copper hoard had been found indicates that the site may contain two metres thick cultural deposit.

The cultural material scattered on the surface is mainly represented by red ware dominated by well-baked thick-sectioned potsherd. The only item that could be identified was a vase. It appears to be representing a single cultural site. Detailed investigation might reveal other aspects of the cultural assemblage of the site.

The hoard weighs about 25 kg and consists of various kinds of artefacts including a barbed spearhead (harpoon) an anthropomorphic figure, flat shouldered axes, chisels and rings. Except some rings and axes, most of them are broken.

Tiwari said that since 1822, copper artefacts were found in Bithur, about one hundred copper hoards have been found from different places - mainly from western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan. Red ware potsherds have been also found on the surface of most of the discovered sights. Some of them such as Bahadarabad (Saharanpur), Bisauli (Badaun), Rajpur Parsu (Bijnuar), Baharia (Shahjahanpur), Saipai (Etawah) have been subjected to archaeological soundings.

"However, we do not know much about their associated culture and chronology. The discovery of Udaipurwa copper hoard from an ancient site containing thick cultural deposit is of immense significance," he said.

Directorate of Archaeology had dispatched a proposal to the Archaelogical Survey of India (ASI) for carrying out excavation at the spot. "We are hopeful of getting enough charcoal and other organic material during the excavation for radiocarbon dating," Tiwari said.