On the Botanical Findings from Excavations at Ahichchhatra: A Multicultural Site in Upper Ganga Plain, Uttar Pradesh

This article embodies an impressive array of data on the carbonized remains of crop plants, weeds and wild taxa recovered from archaeological excavations at Ahichchhatra, a multicultural site in Bareilly district, Uttar Pradesh. The crop-remains are represented by the grains and seeds of Oryza sativa (rice), Hordeum vulgare (barley), Triticum aestivum (bread wheat), Triticum sphaerococcum (dwarf wheat), Pisum arvense (field-pea), Lens culinaris (lentil), Lathyrus sativus (grass pea), Vigna sp. (green/black gram), Macrotyloma uniflorum (horse gram), Sesamum indicum (sesame), Linum usitatissimum (linseed) and Gossypium arboreum/herbaceum (cotton) dating back to 1500-100 BC. In addition, a large number of weeds and wild taxa which may be indicative of surrounding ground vegetation and cultivated fields have also been recorded as an admixture in the crop assemblage. The study of the ancient plant remains has been discussed and compared with the information on agriculture remains from other sites in the Ganga Plain.