Assam: The Daojali Hading site in Assam’s Dima Hasao district has created a stir in the archaeological world. The site was discovered in the 1960s during the construction of the Lumding-Haflong road, but since then it has suffered a lot due to the construction of the road. Now a recent archaeological discovery has revealed that this area was a Neolithic settlement about 2,700 years old. The remains found here have proved that the people here in those times not only made stone tools but also did metal crafts i.e. metalworking.
Furnace and iron ash revealed new secrets
In Assam, Archaeologists have found a furnace and iron slag here, which indicates that metal work was done on a large scale at that time. Earlier, Professors T C Sharma and M C Goswami of Guwahati University had excavated here between 1962 and 1964 and found double-shouldered celts, earthenware with cord marks, mortars and pestles and jadeite stones that link it to the Neolithic culture of East and Southeast Asia. But due to road construction, this site was largely destroyed. In 1985, Professor Sharma re-examined it and now the recent survey team carried out new excavations based on the clues given by him.
Survey team made important discoveries
In Assam, This time the team was led by Shring Dao Langthasa and Bhuvanjoy Langthasa of the Archaeology Department of North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council. Bidisha Bordoloi, head of Dima Hasao District Museum, was also involved in this work, while Sukanya Sharma of IIT Guwahati and Marco Mitri of North Eastern Hill University, Shillong gave expert advice. The team dug four trial trenches and found soil with string marks, polished stone tools, arrowheads, small weapons, unfinished tools and charcoal samples. All this shows that it was not just a tool-making site but a settlement area where people lived and did household work.
More research is needed to save the heritage
The team said that this site is a very important evidence of ancient community life in Northeast India. This confirms the previously held belief that Daojali Hading was not just a stone tool-making site but a developed Neolithic settlement. The team has appealed for more research to be done here such as radiocarbon dating of organic matter and comparative study with other Neolithic sites in the region. At present, the samples are being examined at the Department of Geology of Guwahati University and the Archaeological Sciences Lab of IIT Guwahati. The team thanked NCHAC Chief Executive Member Debolal Gorlosa and Cultural Affairs Executive Member Monjit Naiding for supporting the survey. Team member Sudeep Kemparai helped identify the site by analysing old maps.
