Work

A geoarchaeological timeline of India

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: In the last decade, the growing interest in understanding the long-term human-environment interaction and its enduring impact on Earth systems has drawn scientists from around the world into multidisciplinary studies, including geology, archaeology, palaeoclimatology and palaeoecology. With the current trend towards understanding the roots of human impact on the landscape, the 'Anthropocene', and the complexities within the geosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere, it is high time to link geological, climatological and archaeological events at regional and global scales to human history, and therefore to introduce a first of its kind geoarchaeological timeline. Here we present a comprehensive geoarchaeological timeline that aligns major archaeological technological innovations and historical events in India with the geological timescale provided by the International Commission on Stratigraphy. This timeline will be crucial for understanding critical periods in India's history and for guiding current and future research on human-environment interactions, particularly in navigating the Anthropocene crisis. This timeline should be regularly updated as new knowledge is gained from future studies.

Source: Quaternary Environments and Humans

DOI: 10.1016/j.qeh.2025.100089

Authors: Deepak Kumar Jha, Sujit Dasgupta, Rajat Sanyal

Institutions: Indian Institute of Technology Dhanbad, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, University of the Philippines Diliman, Geological Survey of India, University of Calcutta

Language: English

Topic: Geology and Paleoclimatology Research

Subfield: Atmospheric Science

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,700

Funders: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, University of the Philippines, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad