Sanganakallu
Sanganakallu
Ancient quarry and settlement in Karnataka
Sanganakallu (Kannada: ಸಂಗನಕಲ್ಲು) is an ancient archaeological site from the Neolithic period (circa 3000 BC). It is approximately 8 km from Bellary in eastern Karnataka.[1] It is a group of hills south of a horseshoe shaped valley, with Kupgal to the north.[2] It is one of the earliest settlements in South India, spread over 1,000 acres.[1] There is a layer of red-brown fossilized soil spread over Sanganakallu and Kupgal that can be dated back to 9000 BC.[3] The site is considered to be a neolithic factory site due to the surface excavation revealing large numbers of pottery, stone axes, and other stone tools.[2] The site was first majorly excavated in 1946, by Bendapudi Subbarao, on Sannarasamma hill.[2] Subbarao divided their culture into 3 phases:[2]
- Pre-Mesolithic, the phase when Sanganakallu was first settled, had little pottery, and the people made crude microliths.
- Mesolithic, the phase when pottery was handmade and stone axes were mass produced.
- Neolithic, the phase when pottery and tools became more sophisticated.[2]
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Sanganakallu was excavated again in 1964.[4]