AN ANALYSIS ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL SETTLEMENTS IN WEST BENGAL: WITH SPECI
the context of Indian Archaeology as a whole, the archaeology of undivided
Bengal is viewed with a general indifference (Chattopadhyay and Sanyal 2006:
1387). 'Bengal' (corresponding to modern West Bengal and the Independent republic
or Bangladesh) has long been known to lndologists and antiquarians for its rich
archaeological sources dating from prehistoric to later historical times. Hundreds of
archaeological sites and artefacts, either from excavated contexts or as stray/chance
discoveries and systematic explorations, have been reported from different parts of
West Bengal and Bangladesh in the last one and a half centuries. However no specific
attempt, even at a preliminary level, has so far been made in spite of a long history or
digging and discovery, classification and reproduction and so on, to summary i..e
the ·archaeological data of the historical levels of West Bengal and underline their
bearing on the development of historical settlements in the region.
In the context of historical archaeology in West Bengal, enormous materials
datable from c. third century BC to AD twelfth-thirteenth centuries have so far been
recorded: Starting from 1928-29 till date, quite a large number of sites with early
historic and/or early mediaeval deposits has been subjected to systematic
excavations by competent authorities. Several studies conducted by practicing
archaeologists have dra\.vn on issues of spatial distribution of sites and the bearing of
artefacts on historical trade economy and religion. In spite of the above facts, it has to
be noted that studies on spatial distribution as well as na1ure and changing characters
of early historic-early mediaeval sites arc yet to be carried out
satisfactorily. Furthermore. West Bengal has so far yielded quite a few epigraphic
records, datable between the sixth and the twelfth centuries, in the form of
copperplate charters recording rural land transaction affairs. Apart from throwing
welcome light on the geopolitical dimensions of early mediaeval political history of
Bengal, they offer invaluable data on the nature of village level settlements and land
related affairs in the territory. Although many villages recorded in the inscriptions
have been identified with their modern counterparts, many of them still remain
unknown and unidentified.
Ramtanu_Banerjee · History
