3,000-year-old Pachkhed site reveals Early Iron Age rice cultivation in Vidarbha

Among the major findings is a lime-processing kiln, which gives the earliest direct evidence of this technology in Vidarbha’s Early Iron Age. Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) dating of charcoal and a rice grain sample has placed the site’s earliest cultural horizon between 908 and 725 BCE.

Talking to The Indian Express, Prof Prabash Sahu, Head of the Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, said, “In 2009, this site was reported by Vilas Wahane (Assistant Director at State archaeology department), and he had written and published a paper on the same. Looking at the evidence and the architectural remains he reported, it was of significance, and we were interested in the Iron Age. There are so many sites in Vidarbha, but as far as the Iron Age is concerned, the evidence from other places has not been properly studied scientifically. So, we decided to carry out a holistic study of the Iron Age, and Pachkhed was one of the sites where maximum deposit is present.”

Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) dating of charcoal and a rice grain sample has placed the site’s earliest cultural horizon between 908 and 725 BCE. (Express Photo)

He added, “Nearly 10 metres of cultural deposit was present in Pachkhed, because the mound was deposited in two parts. The sections were visible, and that prompted us to study the Iron Age deposit properly. For the entire Iron Age matter, we had 8 AMS dates provided by IUAC (Inter University Accelerator Centre, New Delhi), with the earliest date being 908 BCE and the latest 752 BCE. More than 200 years of the Early Iron Age are represented at Pachkhed.”

On the excavation’s key findings, Sahu said, “We have evidence of rice. Nowadays, in Yavatmal, you don’t find rice cultivation, which means that during the Iron Age, people were cultivating rice. We have evidence of both domesticated as well as wild rice varieties, which indicates that the climate was suitable for rice cultivation back then. We have evidence of a lime kiln.”

“As far as the metallurgical aspect is concerned, people were deeply engaged in extracting iron and making utensils and implements for utilitarian purposes. Previously, the scientific dates we had from Vidarbha went up to the 8th century BCE, but this study has pushed back the antiquity of the Iron Age to the 1st millennium BCE. This is a 3,000-year-old site,” he added. Archaeologists say the excavation has revealed a rare, well-preserved cultural sequence covering over two millennia — from the Early Iron Age to the Nizam period—shedding light on Vidarbha’s role in early iron technology, trade systems, and state formation in the Deccan.

Researchers have identified four cultural phases, namely Period IA: Early Iron Age, Period IB: Iron Age, Period II: Satavahana, Period III: Medieval and Period IV: Nizam. The first period being divided into two parts. The Early Iron Age phase has yielded lime floors, posthole patterns, and pottery such as micaceous red ware and black-slipped ware, alongside artefacts like terracotta beads, bone points, and iron tools.

In the Iron Age phase, kilns, lime-ash pits, and copper slag point to advanced metallurgy and trade networks. Satavahana-period layers feature a brick-lined well, lime-plastered floors, and pottery with Brahmi inscriptions, markers of organised urban planning. Medieval layers indicate simpler structures but continued rural habitation, while the Nizam-period remains show later reuse of the site. Postholes arranged in a circular pattern were found representing the house plan of an Iron Age hut (9th – 5th Century BCE).

Eight AMS samples, tested at Inter University Accelerator Centre (IUAC), New Delhi, have provided calibrated dates ranging from 908 to 725 BCE, making Pachkhed one of Vidarbha’s most precisely dated Early Iron Age sites.

Archaeologists highlight a well-preserved kiln found alongside domestic layers, postholes, and lime floors as rare evidence of on-site craft activity, possibly lime processing, in the Early Iron Age. The rich pottery collection, including red ware, black and red ware, and painted vessels, reflects both regional and South Indian styles, with distinct local innovations.