Inamgaon- A chalcolithic settlement - Concepts - Chapter 5 Class 6 History - The Age of Vedas - History

• Inamgaon is a chalcolithic settlement located in the state of Maharashtra, India.
  
  
• Inamgaon is located in the Bhima river valley and was inhabited during the Chalcolithic period (c. 3300-1300 BCE).
  
  
• The settlement is believed to have been home to several thousand people.
  
  
• Inamgaon was a center of agricultural activity and its inhabitants cultivated crops such as wheat, barley, and lentils.
  
  
• The settlement also had a thriving craft industry, with inhabitants engaged in the production of pottery, stone tools, and metal objects such as copper bracelets.
  
  
• Inamgaon is famous for its unique pottery style, which is characterized by intricate designs and patterns such as fish, birds, and human figures.

Archaeological finds

• 134 mud houses have been excavated at Inamgaon.
  
  
•  Most are r ectangular in shape with only one or two rooms . One house, however, has 5 rooms. It may have been the house of the ruling chief.
  
  
•  Next to this house is a granary. The chief may have collected grains from the farmers and stored them here.
  
  
• Oval shaped pits have been found inside most houses.
  
  
•  These pits may have been used to cook food.
  
  
•  Similar pits have also been found outside some houses. It suggests that people may have done some of their cooking outdoors.
  
  
• Storage pits and storage bins have also been found.
  
  
•  Archaeologists have found a lot of pottery and stone tools at Inamgaon.
  
  
• Most of the pots are red in color. Some have black designs on them.
  
  
•  Stone tools may have been used to chop trees, pound meat and skin animals.
  
  
  
• The people of Inamgaon made artifacts of copper.
  
  
• Beads made of terracotta , semi-precious stones and ivory have also been found.
  
  
• Some beads are made from sea shells.
  
  
• Numerous terracotta figures have been found at Inamgaon. 
  
  
  
• Some had been baked and hardened in clay ovens.
  
  
• Some of the animal figures may have been toys , while others may have had a religious significance.
  
  
• They also worshipped a female goddess as in one of the sites, archaeologists found a clay bull along with a female figure.
  
  
• Seeds and thousands of animal bones also founded.
  
  
• Crops such as wheat, barley, lentils, peas, gram and beans were grown.
  
  
• Meat, fish and dairy products w ere also part of the daily diet.