Archaeology Magazine - December 1963 - 72

and the lay public, for whom this
series is intended. His outline begins
with a' brief account of the "discovery' of Egypt through archaeological exploration and continues
with a graphic descriptionof a journey down the great river on which
the life of the land depends, describing some of the principal ancient sites on the way from the
Fourth Cataract to the Mediterranean coast. After a short account
of the natural resources of the
country, the author embarks on the
long history of its ancient inhabitants. Though his summary of the
events of three thousand years
necessarily suffers from being telescoped to fit a limited space, it is
clear and easy to follow. The book
ends with a chapter on the ancient
social structure and a concluding
statement on "the ideology that determined the character of the ancient Egyptian civilization/'
Mr. Aldred tosses out a good
many statements in the course of
this book that would seem to require qualification or clarification
and a few that it might not be easy
to prove, but then much of Egyptian history is and will probably
always remain in the field of
speculation. In a work such as this
there is no space for recording
divergent opinions or bolstering
statements with proof. On the
whole the author has more than
creditably accomplisheda very difficult task, and his book deserves
warm recommendation.
A word about the illustrations.
The text is clarified by maps and
line drawings, many of which are
from the hand of the author. The
plates at the end of the book are for
the most part clear and well chosen,
but they are without captions, and
296

sent the first settled life in the region and as such was intrusive into
territories of hunting and gathering
peoples. Allchin feels that it was a
period of higher rainfall and therefore of richer vegetation. The settlers made their habitations on and
around the characteristic small
granite hillocks of the area. They
wielded chipped and ground stone
axes to clean the area of vegetation
and in this they were certainly assisted by their domesticated cattle,
sheep and goats.
A striking feature of these Neolithic settlements is the presence of
small terraces, in part a by-product
of stone walls built on the hill-tops
as a result the references to them and in the saddles between. These,
are tedious to follow: from a mar- Allchin feels, were constructed to
ginal reference in the text one must provide areas for cultivation, for
proceed to the plate itself and cattle confinement, and in some
thence to a list of notes on the cases as part of a platform extendplates- a process involving tire- ing out from or around the rock
some mental and physical gym- shelter or cave which served as a
nastics on the part of the reader.
house. Though remains of domestic
Elizabeth Riefstahl
plants were not obtained, millet is
assumed by the excavator to have
South Essex, Massachusetts
been a staple crop. The blade tool
industry contains what may well be
PIKLIHAL
EXCAVATIONS,
by F. R. Allsickle
blades; and numerous querns
chin. xvii, 154 pages, 64 plates.
grinding of a cereal grain.
The Government of Andhra Pra- attest thealso
Pottery
though not
I960
desh, Hyderabad
(Andhra wheel-made, itoccurs;
is
well
manufacPradesh Government Archaeologi- tured and includes
gray burnished
cal Series,No. 1) Rs. 15
ware suggestive of gray wares
This important work by one of found in the Indo-Iranian area, and
the most distinguished English ar- various painted wares. There are
chaeologists who have worked on red wares which include a peculiar
the prehistory of the Indian sub- form with legs not unlike the Indus
continent should be read with in- civilizationoffering-standsto which
terest by anthropologistsand others Allchin feels there may be a generic
concerned with the diffusion of relationship.
Burials of the Neolithic phase
food-production. In 1951 Dr. Allchin and his wife carried on a sur- were found close to the site. They
vey of the sites of the Raichur dis- are of the extended type and intrict of Hyderabad, an area already clude simple funerary furniture
known for the fine mediaeval fort such as vessels and stone impleof Mudgal and the Neolithic site ments. Terracotta figurines of men,
of Maski. It is also rich in mega- birds and cattle were also found in
lithic remains as well as rock paint- the site.
Allchin places the rock drawings
ings and drawings.
It is remarkable that the large (bruisings) and paintings found in
site of Piklihal should have been the region in the Neolithic period.
overlookedin the past. Its discovery These depict herds of cattle, sheep,
near Mudgal led to a five weeks' goats and wild animals as well as
excavation which produced rich men.
and significant material. Allchin
In his conclusionsAllchin paints
was able to determine a strati- a significant picture of pastoralists
graphic sequence from Neolithic moving into the region possibly as
(ca. 2000 B.c.) to mediaeval (ça. a final phase of the movementsof
1000 A.D.) times, with certain people from the Iranian Plateau
breaks in the record.
and adjacent areas which began in
The Neolithic period of Piklihal the late third millennium B.c., aris particularly significant. The riving in the Deccan around 2000
Lower Neolithic appears to repre- B.c. Some of the Deccan pottery

Archaeology Magazine - December 1963

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - December 1963