Maski

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  ?Maski
Karnataka • India
Map indicating the location of Maski
Thumbnail map of India with Karnataka highlighted
Location of Maski
 Maski 
Coordinates: 15°58′N 76°40′E / 15.97, 76.67
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
District(s) Raichur district

Coordinates: 15°58′N 76°40′E / 15.97, 76.67

Maski is an archaeological site in the Raichur district of the state of Karnataka, India.[1] It lies on the bank of the Maski river which is a tributary of the Tungabhadra. The site came into prominence with the discovery of a minor rock edict of Emperor Ashoka by C. Beadon in 1915.[2] It was the first edict of Emperor Ashoka that contained the name Asoka in it instead of the earlier edicts that referred him as Devanampiye piyadasi.[3][4] This edict was important to conclude that many edicts found earlier in the Indian sub-continent in the name of Devanampiye piyadasi, all belonged to Emperor Ashoka.[3] The edict is etched on a rock-face of Durgada-gudda, one of the gneissic outcrops that are present in the site.

Contents

[edit] Excavation history

Maski was studied initially by Robert Bruce Foote in 1870 and 1888. In 1915, C. Beadon, a mining engineer, discovered Ashoka's rock edict here. In 1935-37, the archaeological department of Hyderabad state explored this region and in 1954, Amalananda Ghosh excavated this place on behalf of the Archaeological Survey of India.[1]

[edit] Findings

The excavations indicated that the region was occupied across four different cultural periods; Period I: Neolithic-Chalcolithic, Period II: Megalithic, Period III: Early historical and Period IV: Medieval. In Period I, microliths and blades made of agate, chert, carnelian and opal are found.[1] Ornamental beads of agate, coral, shell and other materials are also found. Dull-grey ware and painted-buff ware pottery are found, some of which were painted with linear patterns. Animal remains of cattle, buffalo, sheep and goat are also found.[1] Period II saw the introduction of iron and five different forms of burials were discovered. Lances, ferrules, daggers and arrowheads were found, apart from beads of gold and terracotta objects.[1] The pottery of Period II consisted of the megalithic red-and-black ware, all-black ware and red-slipped ware, some of which had graffiti on them. Coins were discovered in the Period III which also saw the use of Russet-coated painted ware. The earliest specimens of Indian glass were also discovered at Maski.[5] A cylinder seal has also been found here.[6]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Amalananda Ghosh (1990), p282
  2. ^ V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar (1993), p41
  3. ^ a b O. C. Handa (1994), p197
  4. ^ Vincent Arthur Smith (1998), p5
  5. ^ Manfred G. Raschke (1978), p1029
  6. ^ E. C. L. During Caspers (1975), p64

[edit] References

  • Ghosh, Amalananda [1990] (1990). An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology. BRILL. ISBN 9004092625. 
  • Smith, Vincent Arthur [1998] (1998). Asoka: The Buddhist Emperor of India. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 8120613031. 
  • Handa, O. C. [1994] (1994). Buddhist Art and Antiquities of Himachal Pradesh. Indus Publishing. ISBN 818518299X. 
  • Dikshitar, Ramachandra V. R. [1993] (1993). The Mauryan Polity. Motilal Banarsidass Publications. ISBN 8120810236. 
  • Raschke, Manfred G. [1978] (1978). "New Studies in Roman Commerce with the East", in Hildegard Temporini, Wolfgang Haase: Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt. Geschichte und Kultur Roms. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 3110071754. 
  • Caspers, During E. C. L. [1979] (1979). "Statuary in the round from Dilmun", in Johanna Engelberta, Lohuizen-De Leeuw: South Asian Archaeology 1975: Papers from the Third International. BRILL. ISBN 9004059962.