Karnataka: Researchers find evidence of a 4,000-year-old human settlement in Maski, 110 years after Ashoka inscription was discovered at the site
A remarkable archaeological finding has drawn attention to the Karnataka’s Maski town. It has been revealed that humans lived in that are around 4,000 years ago. Scientists who were searching for additional information about the captivating location in the Raichur district made the discovery. A collaborative team of 20 researches from India, Canada and the United States worked together to learn more about the area’s past.
Researchers have been excavating around Mallikarjun Hill, close to the Mallikarjuna Temple and the town’s Anjaneya Swamy temple. They have come across a variety of artefacts and other tools that date back four millennia which suggests that the area was once a vibrant settlement.
Professor Dr Andrew M. Bauer of Stanford University in the United States, Dr. Peter G. Johansen of McGill University in Canada and Hemanth Kadambi of Shiv Nadar University in Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region) alongside their team of over 20 researchers have been seeking evidence of human habitation and civilisation in Maski for the past three months.
They approached Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for approval and afterward the crew began exploring Maski. The scientists identified 271 places of interest in the area and began their work. They unearthed evidence that the area surrounding the temple and Mallikarjun Hill was occupied by people from the 11th to the 14th century BCE.
They located an array of antiquities, including cooking tools like earthen pots and pans. Kadambi declared, “We have found evidence that indicates that there was a human settlement in Maski around 4,000 years ago.”
Maski inscription
Notably, British gold mine engineer C. Beadon found the Maski inscription in 1915. The region made its place on the archaeological map when the inscription, which dates to the time of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, came to light. It was etched onto a rock surface within a cave.
One of the earliest inscriptions from the Mauryan era, it prominently displays the emperor’s name and his title as “Devanampriya” (Beloved of the Gods). A long-standing disagreement about whether the legendary ruler was actually referred to by the title or not was resolved when the same was mentioned alongside his name. It was written in Brahmi script and in the Prakrit language, highlighting his adherence to non-violence.
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