Iron Age, Satavahana era remnants found in AP: Archaeologists

Hyderabad: A team of archaeologists and historians have discovered remnants of Iron Age and Satavahana era from Mahabubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh, a senior official said today. A series of 20 megalithic burial cairn circles have been reported on a hillock in Madugula village of Mahabubnagar region yesterday, AP Archaeology and Museums Department Director P Chenna Reddy said. “It’s an important and first time discovery in Mahabubnagar,” he said. [caption id=“attachment_209969” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption="(Representative image) A series of 20 megalithic burial cairn circles have been reported on a hillock in Madugula village of Mahabubnagar region. Reuters"]  [/caption] An Archaeology team, headed by E Sivanagi Reddy, officer on special duty, discovered the site. The burials are encircled by 14 to 20 huge boulders, in which, the actual cist burials are topped by a huge capstone that are datable to 1000 BC, Chenna Reddy said. The team, in its explorations, discovered a huge Satavahana site in an extent of 100 acres, littered with bricks, brick bats, red polished ware (pottery of different sizes), shell bangle pieces, iron slogs and stone millers, datable to 1st century BC to 2nd century AD on the north-east corner of the village, he said. “An earthen rampart with a moat is also noticed, confirming it as a Satavahana fortified settlement. The scientific clearance of the site may yield valuable material culture of the Satavahanas,” Chenna Reddy said. The team also explored another two megalithic sites, located at Irwin and Charagonda in the district, wherein, about a hundred cairn circles were discovered by the team that are datable to 1000 BC, he said. Sivanagi Reddy said this discovery of Iron Age and Satavahana era is the first time in Mahabubnagar, while similar discoveries were earlier made at two other locations, including in Khammam district. PTI