EXCAVATIONS - PROTOHISTORIC SITES

BACK

Runija (1981)

Runija is situated in Badnagar tahsil of Ujjan district, 1.5km south of Runija Railway Station on the Ratlam-Indore metre-gauge line. It has six ancient mounds of which Mound I was taken up for excavation in 1981 jointly by the Deptt. of Archaeology, Govt. of M.P. and Vikram University, Ujjain under the directions of M.D. Khare and Dr. V.S. Wakankar respectively. The excavation conducted in three trenches revealed the following cultural sequence at the site:

General View of the ancient Mound	Stratified Deposit
Section Facing west, stratified Deposit

Period I	Kayatha washed out	4200-3900 BP
Period II	Ahar, painted black-and-red, blotchy grey and red ware, burnished red ware	3900-3700 BP
Period III	Malwa Chalcolithic Phase (Ahar Dominat)	3700-3600 BP
	Dominant Malwa Phase II	3600-3500 BP
	Malwa and Runija Ware Phase III	3500-3400 BP
	Malwa last Phase IV	3400-3200 BP
	Devastating Flood	3100-3000 BP
	Pre-Maurayn 'black -and-red and grey ware
Period IV	NBP	2500-2300 BP
Period V	Mauryan	2300-2100 BP
Period VI	Sunga Satavahana	2100-1800 BP
Period VII	Ksatrapa-Early Malwa	1800-1500 BP
Period VIII	Gupta-Aulikara	1500-1200 BP
Period IX	Paramara-Pratihara-Rastrakuta	1200-750 BP
Period X	Muslim-Rajput	600-200 BP
Period XI	Maratha-Rajput	200-40 BP

The site yielded nine gold coins of Gupta dynasty, five of Chandragupta II and four of Samudragupta. Several punch-marked and cast copper coins were excavated from the early historic diposits. The site is extremely rich in Gupta-Aulikara sculptures

Chalcolithic Potteries and Potslands
Painted Chalcolithic Potssherds

REFERENCES
Prachya Pratibha, No.8, 1-2, 1980, pp. 27-23; IAR. 1980-81, p. 3.9