Kohima: Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of prehistoric human habitation in caves and rockshelters of the Naga Hills Ophiolite Belt in Nagaland’s Noklak district.
A joint team from the Department of History and Archaeology at Nagaland University and the Department of Art and Culture, Government of Nagaland, conducted a preliminary archaeological cave expedition in March this year.
The team was led by Prof. Tiatoshi Jamir, Dr. Heme Lamthaiu, Dr. Limasanen Longkumer, Khumeng T., an Archaeological Research Officer, Robinson Huidrom, and Victoria Leyri of Delhi University.
Intensive foot exploration of the limestone karst terrain of Chiphur area, undertaken with the assistance of the Chiphur Village Council, led to the identification of caves and rockshelters in the region.
Excavations at the high-altitude sites revealed cord-marked pottery, ground stone tools, hearth features, carbonised cereals and wild faunal remains. The cereal remains included Setaria italica, or foxtail millet, and Coix species, commonly known as Job’s tears.
Two Accelerator Mass Spectrometry dates analysed by Beta Analytic Laboratory in Florida, United States, established the ages of two sites. The Leilo Kaa rockshelter was dated to about 3,500 years ago, while the Kathso Kaa cave site was dated to about 1,000 years ago.
Of the five caves and four rockshelters explored, documented and mapped, the findings indicate that such sites were used from the prehistoric period to the historical period.
Researchers said Northeast India has long been considered a corridor of human migration. They added that the Naga Hills Ophiolite Belt and the Naga Metamorphic Complex in the Chiphur and Mimi regions along the Indo-Myanmar mountain ranges hold considerable archaeological potential for understanding the region’s prehistoric past.
The scientific dating of caves and rockshelters in Nagaland is helping researchers build a broader picture of the lives of early human populations, including their subsistence patterns, tool and ceramic technology, burial traditions and possible worldviews.
A public exhibition of the excavation finds is planned for October this year by the State Museum under the Department of Art and Culture, Government of Nagaland, and Nagaland University.
