September 20, 2012

Beautiful polished axe from Arunachal Pradesh

From the Archaeology Network:


A prehistoric tool of Neolithic period has been found in Taksing under Upper Subansiri district, bordering China.


The Neolithic axe-head found at Taksing [Credit: Arunachal Front]
Tade Ebo, Taksing  CCR evangelist and one Talin Rigia handed over the axe-shaped Neolithic tool to research director Dr. Tage Tada on September 12, which is now on display in the Itafort Archaeological Museum here.

The tool is of rectangular in shaped and made out of diorite black stone. Both the surfaces are fully grounded and finely polished but a few sears are seen in the lateral margin of the tool. The cutting edge very sharp, convex and bifacially beveled. The shape, size and workmanship of the tool indicate that it was used as axe by the people in the Neolithic age, most probably for the purpose of agriculture and farming.

Tada informed that this was the first finding from the remote Indo-China (Tibet) border. “The possession of the tool will provide opportunity to the students of archaeology of the state for its further investigation and add definite information on the prehistoric period of the area”, he added.

The Director further said that in Arunachal Pradesh, local people believe such prehistoric tools possess certain sprits. Some believe that such object comes from sky while other believes that such tools are used by the malevolent sprit. “In Taksing the local Nah and Tagin people believe that this has fallen from sky used by malevolent sprits, thus they are very scared of touching the artifact.”

Source: Arunachal Front [September 16, 2012]

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Geographical and anthropological note: Arunachal Pradesh is effectively administrated by India as state but also claimed by China (via its annexation of Tibet). For what I care it belongs to its own peoples, a diverse array of mostly Tibeto-Burman ethnicities. From an anthropological viewpoint the whole region so-called NE India (between Bangla Desh and Burma is transitional between South Asia and SE Asia.

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