Tag Archives: history of archaeology

Mahastangarh : a Glorious Chapter of Old History


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Mahasthangarh (Physical setup) so far the oldest archaeological site of Bangladesh, lies on the western bank of river karatoya, about 12 km north of Bogra town, and is connected by a good metalled road. The site includes partly shibganj and partly bogra sadar upazilas of bogra district and lies between latitudes 24°50´N and 25°0´N and longitudes 89°15´E and 89°30´E. The spectacular site is an imposing landmark in the area, having a fortified, oblong enclosure measuring 1524m by 1370m with an average height of 5m from the surrounding paddyfields.

Climate characterised by tropical monsoon climate, with the bulk of rainfall occurring between May and October. Considering the variations in temperature, pressure and precipitation, the site can be included within the climatic sub-zone of hot summer and moderate rainfall. The annual precipitation in the area decreases from east to west. The maximum temperature ranges from 37°C to 39°C whereas the minimum temperature varies from 7°C to 10°C.

Soil about 60% of the soil is composed of semi-consolidated older Madhupur Clay, which forms the Barind and Lalmai terraces. The remainder of the soil is developed in unconsolidated recent and subrecent alluvial deposits laid down by the rivers bangali and Karatoya.

Agriculture most of the area is under cultivation, but natural vegetation remains in several small areas. Mixed forest, scrub and replanted Gajari and Shal (Shorea robusta) occupy patchy areas of the higher ridges of Barind and Lalmai terraces. Floodplain soils were probably covered with grassland. crops are grown almost everywhere and farming practices have strongly influenced the present vegetation. Approximately 10% of the area are triple cropped, 38% double cropped and 40% single cropped. Grassland and barren lands together occupy about 2 percent whereas settlements, water bodies and rivers constitute about 10%. The present landuse is mainly determined by elevation of the land in relation to the duration and depth of seasonal flooding and by the availability of soil moisture in the dry season. rice, mainly aus [aush] and transplanted aman [aman], is by far the most extensive crop. In the floodplains, where the land is only shallowly flooded or water can be kept on the land by artificial field bunds, farmers grow aus followed by transplanted aman. Man-made platforms and homestead areas are used for vegetables, bananas, fruit trees, Pan (Betel leaf) and seedbed for aman rice.

Topography and relief it stands on the red bed barind tract that comprises slightly elevated landform terraces within the alluvium. These areas are higher in elevation than the surrounding flat plains and form a distinct, relatively flood free physiographic unit. The elevation of the Mahasthangarh ranges from 15m to 25m. The ridge tops in between the valleys are almost level and the valley sides and floors have been closely terraced for cultivation.

Drainage the Pleistocene (2 to 0.1 million years ago) the archaeological sites of Mahasthangarh and paharpur stand on Barind Tract, is well drained by numerous small, entrenched, meandering streams and rivers. The western Barind is drained by mahananda and punarbhaba rivers and their numerous tributaries that discharge into the padma towards the south. The middle and eastern Barind is drained by two major rivers, atrai and Karatoya discharging into the mighty jamuna river to the southeast. The Punarbhaba, Atrai and Old Jamuna rivers have cut across the Pleistocene Barind Terrace. Most of the small streams of the Barind areas are seasonal and are fed by monsoon season. The major rivers are perennial, shallow and narrow during the dry season and overflooded with water during the monsoon season.

In the Mahasthangarh, Karatoya is the major river that passes near the eastern margin and flows towards the south. Three small rivers (ichamati, bangali and nagar) are around the Mahasthangarh. East of the Mahasthangarh, the Bangali and Ichamati rivers flow southeast. The Nagar located in the west flows southwest. Many swampy areas, locally known as beels, are also found around the area.

Landform units broadly speaking, the Mahasthangarh of Bogra district can be conveniently subdivided into two landform units: (1) Barind terrace and (2) Karatoya-Bangali meander floodplain.

Barind terrace situated west of the Karatoya river. This unit represents a series of uplifted blocks of Madhupur Clay, believed to be equivalent in age to the Pleistocene. The greater part of the Barind Tract is undissected and has poorly drained grey soils overlying clay at a shallow depth. Only a few minor rivers cross this almost level area. Two sub-units of the Barind Tracts are: (i) Nearly level Barind Tract, and (ii) Broad dissected Barind Tract.

The nearly level Barind Tract occupies the western part of Bogra district and comprises a low, nearly level, uplifted terrace. Fault scarps mark the edges of the outcrop. The Karatoya and the little jamuna channels run at the foot of these scarps. The level Barind tract includes grey, variably mottled, less permeable soils overlying the little weathered Madhupur Clay at a shallow depth.

The broad dissected Barind Tract is relatively higher than the remainder of the tract and occurs mostly in the eastern and northeastern part of the Barind Tract. The area has been uplifted, tilted and broadly dissected by valleys, most of which are streamless. It is relatively deeply weathered, and has well to moderately well drained red or brown soils.

Karatoya-Bangali meander floodplain a complex landscape containing sediments of diverse ages and origins. Sediments from both the rivers appear to have partially buried an older landscape, which extended up to the lower Tista floodplain. The greater part of this floodplain comprises broad ridges and basins. Silts predominate on the ridges and clays in the basins. Sands occur only patchily on ridges and along river channels.

Geology The archaeological site of Mahasthangarh is situated on the shelf area of Bangladesh. Tectonically, it includes the active Bogra Slope nearest to the hinge zone. Aeromagnetic survey has revealed that the basement is criss-crossed by numerous fault traces. Faults have vertical displacement trending N-S, E-W and NNE-SSW. Only a few of the faults form outcrops, such as Karatoya river fault.

The seismic zoning adopted by the committee of experts on earthquake hazard subdivides the country into three zones. Mahasthangarh lies within zone II where shocks of maximum intensity of VIII and basic seismic coefficient (the number part in front of an algebraic term, signifying multiplication) of 0.05 are suggested. The structural activity of this region is mainly differential vertical movement. The relative displacements along the basement faults have resulted in horst and graben features and the inducement of contrasted relief.

No sediments older than the Pleistocene Madhupur Clay Formation are exposed in Mahasthangarh. However, in the subsurface of the Stable Shelf region including the Bogra slope sedimentary rocks ranging in age from Permian (286 million years to 245 million years ago) to Recent (0.1 million years ago till today) are laid down on the Precambrian basement. [Sifatul Quader Chowdhury]


Gobustan Rock Paintings


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Gobustan occupies the south-eastern spur of the Great Caucasian Range and situated 60 km south of Baku. It is a monticulate semi-desert area dissected by numerous gullies and ravines and Gobustan, in translation, means “ravine land”. Caves and rock outcroppings surround the region. Settled since the Stone Age the area is one of the major and most ancient museums of rock engravings (petrogliphs) in the world.

It was here in Gobustan, in the area of this fantastic destruction of mountains Beyukdash, Kichikdadh, Jingirdag, Shongardag and Shikhgaya, in the ‘sea of rocks’, the witnesses to the past of Azerbaijan people of the Stone Age and subsequent periods are concentrated: these are rock carvings, settlements, tombstones etc. Among them ancient rock carvings are of a particular prominence. Ancient people used to cover the stone blocks near the caves and the walls of the caves with images of human beings and animals and various signs which had been carved with stone implements and, sometimes, with metal tools. These prehistoric art monuments reflect culture, economy, world outlook, customs and traditions of ancient Azerbaijan people.

The petroglyphs of Gobustan were not discovered by an archeological expedition. In fact, their revelation came about quite by accident. In the 1930s, work was going on there in a stone quarry. The area is full of huge boulders and rock formations. One of the quarry workers noticed some unusual carvings on the rocks. The more the rocks were cut out, the more the paintings could be seen. Before they had been hidden from view inside a huge pile of boulders.) Even more paintings were found inside what appeared to be man-made caves. Work at the quarry soon stopped so that the paintings could be examined more carefully. In 1939, archeologist Isaak Jafarzade began the first archeological investigation of the petroglyphs at Gobustan. Due to assiduity of the archeologists such as I.M. Jafarzade, D.Rustamova, F.M. Muradova and so on, from that time to nowadays about 6000 rock pictures have been discovered and recorded in Gobustan. As a result of archeological excavations 40 barrows and scientifically attributed 105 thousand subjects of material culture were found. The most ancient petroglyphs have been identified as belonging to the 10-8th century BC. However, it is assumed that life existed here even earlier and that Gobustan was one of the cradles of civilization.

Gobustan may be seen as a unique source of knowledge on the period from the 10,000 B.C. to the Middle Ages covering the fields of history, culture, art and archaeology. A thorough and detailed study of Gobustan’s rock drawings, particularly their overlapping and also their style, themes, way of composition, and technique of performance as well as comparison with similar dated rock drawings in this and other countries allow some suggestions about their dating. The rock drawings of Gobustan are very diverse as to their themes and content. Among them one can find pictures of human beings, wild bulls, deer, bezoar goats, lions, gazelles, horses, wild asses, some of them being nearly life-size. There are also drawings on some rocks, representing collective labour processes, reaping, sacrifice, hunting scenes, battle scenes. There is a picture of a group dance for instance, which is done in a circle with arms on each other’s shoulders – forerunner of the yalla danced in Azerbaijan to this day. Linguistically “yalla” is cognate to “yal” which means “food”. The “food dance” was presumably a magic rite done before hunting. It might also have served as good training for huntsmen-nimble synchronous movements are essential in collective chase. A very attractive relic of the past is so called “gaval dash” (tambourine stone),  which emits a booming sound when it is struck, was probably used for accompaniment to the yalla dance.

The rock drawings dating back to remote centuries suggest that the climate of Gobustan in the distant past was damp and close to subtropical. This is evidenced by the pictures of people wearing loin-cloths as being typical of the inhabitants of tropical countries, and also by the representations of bulls, deer, and pigs whose existence is impossible without perennial water reservoirs and rich pastures. Rainfall was heavy enough in those ancient times, rivers and springs abounded in water, the herbage of the area was rich and diverse. An abundance of food made it possible for countless herds of herbivorous animals to graze in the pastures of Gobustan.


The Zvartnots Cathedral – Archaelogical Site in Armenia


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In the first half of the VIIth century, a number of renovations and constructions took place throughout Echmiadzin. The Mother Church of the Holy See of Echmiadzin — Seat of The Catholicos, was rebuilt and remodeled by Catholicos Komitas of A?ts . In the year 618, the Monastery of St. Hripsim? was built. The church to this day is a remarkable and spectacular in its geometric order and aesthetic simplicity. The church is complete in terms of its formal and as well as functional design. The monastery of St. Gayan?, was completed in the year 630. One of the most superb and outstanding churches to be built during this period was undoubtedly  the triple-decker [symbolic of the Trinity and the Triple decker Universe] Cathedral of Zvartnots or the Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator.

 The construction of the Cathedral began in 643 by the orders of Catholicos Nerses III Išxan?i and was completed in the year 652. It was extraordinarily enormous in its size and towering in its height – three layers, one on top of another. The Cathedral was massive in size and was completed with a traditional Armenian conned dome. The whole of the structure was covered by frescos of saints as well as Armenian geometric ornaments of fine craftsmanship. Inside, the Cathedral housed the Catholicosal quarters, monks quarters as well as the main chapel. The Grand Hall served everyday mass as well as similar rituals. The Cathedral also housed a library. There were also a number of adjoining structures, including baths and shops.

 The frescos of the Cathedral of Zvartnots were also found in the decorations of the Church of Ste.-Chapelle of Paris, Roman Catholic pilgrims must have seen the Cathedral of Zvartnots and were amazed by its superb architecture. The Ste.-Chapelle fresco depicts Zvartnots on top of Noah’s Ark, most probably, the Cathedral of Zvartnots at that time along with Holy Mt. Ararat, must have stood as symbols of Armenia. The Cathedral was destroyed in the Xth century most probably as a result of a devastating earthquake. As time went on, the Cathedral was covered in deep layers of dirt and the debris. Even the place, were Zvartnots once stood were forgotten. Not until the archaeological excavations in the first half of the XXth century, when the remnants of the beautiful frescos and obelisks from the columns of interior and exterior frescos were uncovered, did we discovered the lost grandeur that was once Zvartnots.