Soanian
| Geographical range | Siwalik Hills[1] |
|---|
| The Paleolithic |
|---|
| ↑ Pliocene (before Homo) |
| ↓ Mesolithic |
The Soanian culture is a prehistoric technological culture from the Siwalik Hills, Pakistan.[1][4] It is named after the Soan Valley in Pakistan.[5]
Discovery
Soanian sites are found along the Siwalik region in present-day India, Nepal and Pakistan.[6] The Soanian culture has been approximated to have occurred during the Middle Pleistocene period or the mid-Holocene epoch (Northgrippian).[7][8] Debates still go on today regarding the exact period occupied by the culture due to artifacts often found in non-datable surface contexts.[7]
The anthropology and archaeology team lead by Helmut De Terra and Thomas Thomson Paterson first discovered and named this culture.[7]
Soanian artifacts were manufactured on quartzite
The emergence of Soanian tools has been tied to the local development of boulder conglomerate formation through prehistoric tectonic processes that created a convenient transporting system for raw materials.[8]
Recent research have been focusing on the technological culture's connection with the
Dating and historical significance
Scholars have debated the prehistoric dating of Soanian culture due to artifacts often found in undatable surface contexts.
Three-interval period theory
According to this view, Soanian technological culture evolved throughout three broad intervals during the Middle Pleistocene period from circa 774,000 to 129,000 years ago.[11] [8]Scholars of this view believe the technological culture potentially belonged to the ancient hominid group: homo erectus.[10] The three intervals are known as Pre-Soan, Early Soan, and Late-Soan.[13] The exact dating of these periods is unknown due to tools often found in undateable surface contexts.[7][8] This view is developed from Helmut de Terra and Thomas Thomson Paterson's early work in the Siwalik region.[7] [8], In analyzing the terrace sequence along the Soan valley in Pakistan, Paterson believed that several Soanian technological phases existed within the glacial and interglacial periods.[8] Pre-Soan and Early Soanian tools are mostly heavy-duty tools like choppers and core scrapers derived from the lower Paleolithic technological culture of the region.[7] These tools contrast with Late-Soan tools, which consist of flake tools that are smaller in size and for finer purposes.[7]
Single distinct technological culture
Scholars of this view suggest that Soanian technology did not evolve in three intervals. Still, instead, all belong to one distinct period in early homo sapiens history during the mid-Holocene epoch.[7] Scholars began to question the three-interval theory when both early Soanian and Late-Soanians tools started to be found together along the same undatable sites.[7] To continue, the Soan river 'terraces' observed by de Terra and Paterson were later discovered to be erosional features rather than terrace sequences that would suggest the prehistorical timing of the artifacts.[7] Second, new findings by the father and son duo Anujot Singh Soni and Vidwan Singh Soni have found Soanian tools on datable sites near Northwestern sub-Himalaya.[7] These sites were dated to be from the mid to late mid-Holocene.[7] Potsherds and weathered redware with coarse fabric were also discovered on some of the sites.[7] These artifacts are believed to have belonged to the Harappan civilization that later lived in villages on the sub-Himalayas.[7] Early human civilizations emerged from antecedent agricultural communities of hills bouldering the Indus alluvial plain.[7]
Anthropological relation to homo sapiens
Geographical context
_10_(37715579786).jpg)
The Soanian culture is in the Western part of the Sub-Himalayan terrain, stretching between the river Indus and Yamuna.[8] This area is the primary producer of Soanian artifacts. This technological culture has been correlated to the prehistoric geographical changes in the region that allowed prehistoric humans easy access to raw materials.
This view is often hypothesized to have resulted from boulder conglomerate formation in the
From 1.6 million years ago onwards, the existing boulder conglomerate formation saw more changes that further contributed to easy raw materials access for local ancient humans. Further tectonic movements and erosion saw the Siwalik fluvial courses altered –developing more complex river systems and deposits that carried and collected sediments.[8] This also contributed to new drainage systems formed by new alluvial conditions in the South Siwalik region.[8] These new developments allowed for easy access to materials and prevented the need for long-distance transport.[8] This geographical context from which the Soanian culture developed is known to scholars as the Post-Boulder Conglomerate Formation period.[8]
Scholars of the single interval period argue Soanian tools were developed due to the movement of the
In a broader geographical context, Soanian culture is one of many different lithic cultures in Southeast Asia that are abundantly available in Sub-Himalayas.[7] Many unifacial flake tools belonging to the Hoabinhians are discovered near Soanian sites.[7] These tools are also found throughout Nepal, South China, Taiwan and Australia.[7] Another prominent lithic culture in the region belongs to the Acheulians, which are distinguished by their preference for bifacial tools.[7][10]
Post-Siwalik fluvial deposits
Most of the post-Siwalik fluvial deposits today are mostly disintegrated; they currently lie above older decomposed sedimentary deposits.[8] Some of them are covered in thick vegetation. These sites stand in contrast with remaining deposits that still stand today, forming basin-like structures.[8]
Technologies
.jpg)
Understanding of the technological development of Soanian tools has been limited due to most sites rarely comprising more than a few dozen artifacts.
Perspective of the singular interval scholars
Scholars of the singular interval period view Soanian technology's development due to the deurbanization of the
Excavation history and current studies
The Western Sub-Himalaya and the Siwalik Hills first caught the interest of archaeologists and palaeontologists in the early 1800s when the Miocene age fossil apes were uncovered.[8] This led to Western scholar's interest in exploring the region for potential pre-historic cultural artifacts. The first official discovery of lithic artifacts in the Western Sub-Himalaya zone was reported in 1880 by Theobald W in a report titled: “On the discovery of a celt of Palaeolithic type in the Punjab”.[8] Wadia and K.R.U Todd first noted discoveries in the Siwalik Hills for paleolithic lithic occurrences.[8] Their research influenced the academic duo of Helmut De Terra and Thomas Thomson Paterson to conduct their research in the region.[8] De Terra and Paterson deemed the artifacts found in Siwalik belonged to a specific technological culture named “Soanian”.[8] They did not excavate but focused on selectively collected surface materials from surrounding terraces.[8] This work confirmed lithic occurrence specific to the region and prompted further research.[8] Excavations later followed outside of India, taking place in Pakistan and Nepal, further confirming pre-historic culture in the Siwalik zone.[8]
Modern research
Recent research predominantly takes place in India, led by scholars with a broader scope.[8] As of 2006, the study area encompassed the Siwalik frontal slopes and some interior zones between the Ghaggar River to the west and the Markanda River to the east.[8] The area is approximately 60 km long and covers an area of approximately 100 km square.[8] Research areas in Pakistan along the Soan river have faced damages due to sewage disposal and municipal waste onto rivers.[8]
Modern-day excavation methods have also changed from the time of De Terra. During his time, scholars focused more on assessing the scattering patterns of tools in smaller sampled regions.[8] Modern observations due to technological developments focus on Soanian tools' occurrence as a complex behavioural system.[8] This method entails carefully surveying and recording artifacts along vast regions, seeking to understand the spatial relationship each lithic culture has with one another.[8] This form of observation has allowed scholars to observe the relations of the emergence of specific tools to specific geographical contexts.[8]
Hundreds of edged pebble tools were discovered at Adiala and Khasala Kalan, about 16 km (9.9 mi) from Rawalpindi terrace on the river's bend. At Chauntra in Himachal Pradesh, hand axes and cleavers were found. Tools up to two million years old have been recovered. Many fossil-bearing rocks are exposed on the surface of the Soan River Gorge. 14 million-year-old fossils of gazelle, rhinoceros, crocodiles, giraffes and rodents have been found there. Some of these fossils are displayed at the Pakistan Museum of Natural History in Islamabad.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-119-05547-1. Quote: “Soanian and Soanian‐like assemblages are known throughout the entire Siwalik or Sub‐ Himalayan region, from Pakistan to northeast India including Nepal...”
- ^ Petraglia & Allchin 2007, pp. 5–6.
- ISBN 978-0-415-11762-3.
- doi:10.1016/j.jas.2006.11.001. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2021-10-07. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
- ^ Paracha, Nadeem F. (February 2, 2017). "Pakistan: The lesser-known histories of an ancient land". DAWN.COM.
- ^ Chauhan, Parth R., An Overview of the Siwalik Acheulian & Reconsidering Its Chronological Relationship with the Soanian – A Theoretical Perspective.
- ^ ISSN 1835-1794.
- ^ PMID 18255121.
- ^ Paterson, T.T., Drummond, H.J.H., 1962. Soan the Palaeolithic of Pakistan.Department of Archaeology, Government of Pakistan Karachi.
- ^ JSTOR 42930294.
- ^ a b "Pleistocene Epoch | Plants, Animals, Climate, Ice Age, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
- ^ "Holocene epoch | Causes, Effects, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
- JSTOR 42930294.
- PMID 19581595.
- ^ a b "hand tool - The Mousterian flake tools | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
- ISSN 1631-0683.
Further reading
- Dani Ahmad Hasan (1964). "Prehistoric Pakistan" (PDF). Asian Perspectives. 7: 183–188.
- B. B. Lal (1964). "A Decade of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology in India, 1951–1960". Asian Perspectives. 7 (1–2): 144–159.
- Hellmut De Terra (1969). Early man: as depicted by leading authorities at the International symposium, the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, March 1937. Ayer Publishing, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. pp. 263–. ISBN 978-0-8369-1184-8. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
- J. Armand (1979). "The Middle Pleistocene Pebble Tool Site of Durkadi in Central India". Paléorient. 5: 105–144. .
- J. Armand (1985). "The Emergence of the Handaxe Tradition in Asia, with Special Reference to India". In V. N. Misra, Peter S. Bellwood (ed.). Recent advances in Indo-Pacific prehistory: proceedings of the international symposium held at Poona, December 19–21, 1978. BRILL. pp. 4–. ISBN 978-90-04-07512-2. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
- V. A. Ranov; D. Dorj; Lu Zün-E (1999). Vadim Mikhaĭlovich Masson (ed.). History of civilizations of Central Asia. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 45–. ISBN 978-81-208-1407-3. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
- Kenneth Oakley (30 April 2007). Frameworks for Dating Fossil Man. Transaction Publishers. pp. 223–. ISBN 978-0-202-30960-6. Retrieved 21 August 2011.