Holocene palynology from Meander lake in the Ganga Valley, District Pratapgarh, U.P.

H.P. Gupta

doi:10.54991/jop.1976.1002

Authors

H.P. Gupta Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, 53, University Road, Lucknow 226007, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54991/jop.1976.1002

Abstract

The pollen analytical investigations of a 3·30 m deep profile from a horse-shoe lake in the Ganga Valley have been carried out. The lake is situated closeby to an archaeological site Sarai-Nahar-Rai in Pratapgarh District. The pollen frequencies were calculated in terms of total land plants and a pollen diagram has been constructed.

In the last 8000 years, there have been four phases of vegetational developments reflecting directly on four brief phases of climate such as Very Arid, Arid, Semi-Arid and Semi-Humid. The abundance of grasses throughout the pollen diagram has revealed the existence of an open savannah forest. The arboreal vegetation is poor and represented by a few scattered trees and shrubs.

The commencement of arable and pastoral economy chiefly based on cereal pollen has been recognized during ca. 4500 b.p. which prospered in the succeeding phases.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Champion HG & Seth SK 1968. The Forest Types of India. Delhi.

Erdtman G 1943. An Introduction to Pollen Analysis. Waltham Mass, U.S.A.

Fibras F 137. Der pollenanalytische Nachweis des Getreidebaus. Ztschr. f. Bot., 31.

Sharma GR 1973. Mesolithic lake cultures in the Ganga Valley, India. Proc. prehistoric Soc., 39: 129-146.

Vishnu-Mittre 1973. Cereal versus non-Cereal grass pollen and the inference of past agriculture. Proc. Int. Palynol. Conf. Novosibirsk, U.S.S.R.: 24-32 (1971).

Vishnu-Mittre & Gupta HP 1966. Pollen morphological studies of some primitive varieties of Maize (Zea mays L.) with remarks on the history of maize in India. The Palaeobotanist 15(1-2): 176-184. https://doi.org/10.54991/jop.1966.762