Pr ade e p k. Be h e r a an d Pr an a b k c h at toPadh YaY

parts have already been destroyed by the intensive surface 
agricultural activities carried out by the present villagers. The 
rampart was quite possibly originally encircled by a 15-20m 
wide moat, which has now been converted into agricultural 
land (Fig. 5). Another important factor which has seriously 
impaired the preservation of the site is the frequent illegal 
mining operations undertaken by the present villagers inside 
the fortified area, particularly in the southern sector.
Trial excavations were conducted in 2002 to understand
the nature and succession of cultures at the site. On the basis 
of available radiocarbon dates, stratigraphic contexts and a 
careful study of changes in the ceramic and other cultural 
assemblages, two broad periods of human occupation, 
corresponding to the Iron Age and the Early Historic period, 
have been identified. The Iron Age is further divided into 
three sub-Periods (IA, IB and IC), mainly on the basis of 
changes in the ceramic assemblages, as well as radiocarbon 
dates (Table 2). 
In Trench-I (Fig. 6), excavated in the northern sector of 
the site, an occupational break represented by a 30-35cm 
thick culturally sterile deposit was noticed between the two 
major periods. Most probably due to frequent inundation 
from the Harihar stream, the site was deserted by the Iron 
Age people and was reoccupied subsequently during Early 
Historic times.
Chronology
Several radiocarbon dates were obtained from various 
levels of the habitation deposit corresponding to the Iron 
Age period occupation of the site (Behera, et al.,
 
2007). 
No date could be retrieved from Period IA of the Iron Age 
occupation and the succeeding Early Historic levels. The 
available dates are indicated in Table 2. In the absence of 
any date from the earliest level of Period IA, but on the basis 
of available dates from Periods IB and IC, the beginning of 
habitation at the site may be traced back to the early first 
millennium BCE. All of the available dates from the site are 
consistent (except one isolated date from sub-Period IC) and 
fall within the time range of the Early Iron Age period in 
India (Tripathi, 2001). Most probably due to the frequent 
inundations from the 
Harihar
stream, the site was deserted 
by the Iron Age people by about the 5
th
century BCE and,