Mid-Holocene age obtained for nested diamond pattern petroglyph in the Billasurgam Cave complex, Kurnool District, southern India.

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dc.contributor.authorTaçon, PSCen_AU
dc.contributor.authorBoivin, Nen_AU
dc.contributor.authorPetraglia, Men_AU
dc.contributor.authorBlinkhorn, Jen_AU
dc.contributor.authorChivas, Aen_AU
dc.contributor.authorRoberts, RGen_AU
dc.contributor.authorFink, Den_AU
dc.contributor.authorHigham, Ten_AU
dc.contributor.authorDitchfield, Pen_AU
dc.contributor.authorKorisettar, Ren_AU
dc.contributor.authorZhao, JXen_AU
dc.date.accessioned2013-11-06T00:45:24Zen_AU
dc.date.available2013-11-06T00:45:24Zen_AU
dc.date.issued2013-04-01en_AU
dc.date.statistics2013-05-14en_AU
dc.description.abstractIndia has one of the world's largest and most significant bodies of rock paintings and engravings, yet not a single rock art site or image has been directly and accurately dated using radiometric techniques. Here we report on results from the Billasurgam Cave complex near Kurnool in southern India. Although this cave complex has been investigated archaeologically since the late 1800s, it was not until 2008 that a large petroglyph, consisting of the remains of three nested diamond designs on a stalactite, was noted. In order to determine if this petroglyph had been made recently, flowstone was sampled from on top of and below the engraving. Radiocarbon dating revealed a mid-Holocene age of about 5000 cal BP for the petroglyph, but we cannot rule out the possibility that the engraving is several centuries younger. Similar nested diamond designs at some rock painting sites and on a chest core elsewhere in India have been assumed to be Mesolithic. Our result is consistent with this hypothesis, although we note that it also consistent with the creation of the petroglyph in the early Neolithic. We conclude that the Billasurgam engraved diamond design was probably made by Mesolithic foragers of the Kurnool region and is the oldest surviving form of rock art yet directly dated in southern India. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.en_AU
dc.identifier.citationTaçon, P.S.C., Boivin, N., Petraglia, M., Blinkhorn, J., Chivas, A., Roberts, R.G., Fink, D., Higham, T., Ditchfield, P., Korisettar, R., & Zhao, J.X. (2013). Mid-Holocene age obtained for nested diamond pattern petroglyph in the Billasurgam Cave complex, Kurnool District, southern India. Journal of Archaeological Science, 40 (4), 1787-1796. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2012.12.006en_AU
dc.identifier.govdoc4872en_AU
dc.identifier.issn0305-4403en_AU
dc.identifier.issue4en_AU
dc.identifier.journaltitleJournal of Archaeological Scienceen_AU
dc.identifier.pagination1787-1796en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2012.12.006en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttp://apo.ansto.gov.au/dspace/handle/10238/4883en_AU
dc.identifier.volume40en_AU
dc.language.isoenen_AU
dc.publisherAcademic Press Ltd - Elsevier Science Ltd.en_AU
dc.subjectIndiaen_AU
dc.subjectIsotope datingen_AU
dc.subjectCavesen_AU
dc.subjectForageen_AU
dc.subjectArchaeologyen_AU
dc.subjectEarth coreen_AU
dc.titleMid-Holocene age obtained for nested diamond pattern petroglyph in the Billasurgam Cave complex, Kurnool District, southern India.en_AU
dc.typeJournal Articleen_AU
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