The understanding of long-term climate variability may provide valuable perspective on possible response of human societies to modern climate changes. The present study, based on the geochemical and sedimentological analyses on well dated (using AMS 14C and optically stimulated luminescence-OSL dates) alluvial sediments from Sina River basin (in Maharashtra, central India) provides a detailed understanding of complex interplay between climate and cultural dynamics during the Late Holocene. The radiocarbon dates of the organic residues from the potsherds represents the Medieval period (∼1600 to 950 cal yr BP), whereas the OSL sample shows the age of ∼7.5±0.4 ka. Further, several cultural objects (e.g., potsherds, shell bangles, and copper artefacts) available at the site were also investigated in order to understand the extent of human activity in the region. The temporal changes in the proxies along with the abundance of cultural materials in the fluvial section during the medieval period suggest that the human population attempted to adapt against the fluctuating climate conditions. The regional comparison of geo-archaeological data sets shows that the pronounced weakening of the monsoonal rainfall during the Late Holocene coincides with the disruption, migration and resettlement of the indigenous societies, deciphering the possible impact of climate on human settlement.
From the early Holocene onward, the Indian Subcontinent has accommodated a range of diverse human cultures and associated ecological adaptations and lifestyles. Around 10 kyrs ago, the Subcontinent has witnessed the development of later Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and their subsequent regional transitions to pastoralist (Neolithic) and agricultural (Chalcolithic) lifeways. The Holocene climate records reveal discrepancies in the timing and duration of climatic events, which can be attributed to a vast geographic isolation, the influence of height, elevation, and local climatic conditions. These changing climatic patterns including the development of a geographically variable monsoon directly impacted these various cultures including the Harappans and their contemporaries as well as younger Historical and Medieval empires across India, at various levels. In some regions, environmental changes led to uneven cultural transitions, geographic migrations, and the development of regionally-distinct material cultures along with establishment of sedentary life-ways. This paper attempts to present a review broadly correlating general climatic patterns throughout the Holocene period of India with regional cultural dynamics. All geomorphic-climatic zones of the Subcontinent showed strong inter-proxy coherence between 9 and 5 kyrs in response to increased precipitation. After this warming period ends, we see a moderate dry period as a result of a weakening monsoon and an overall tendency toward aridity throughout all zones (after 4 kyrs). The temporal variation of human habitation and respective adaptive responses suggest broad linkages to the varying climatic and physiographic features at a regional scale. Learning how this shaped human eco-dynamics in the past can help us expand our understanding of human history and implement lessons for the present as well as the future.
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