Brick Structures and Artifacts Discovered at India’s Asurgarh Fort

ODISHA, INDIA—Archaeologists led by Dibishada B. Garnayak of the Archaeological Survey of India have uncovered brick structures and artifacts as much as 2,300 years old at the site of Asurgarh Fort, which is located in eastern India, according to a report in The Hindu. The four-sided fort was protected by a moat on its northern, eastern, and southern sides, and by the Sandul River to the west. Gates, each guarded by a deity, were placed in each of the four cardinal directions. Circular structures within the fort were formed with wedge-shaped bricks and terracotta tiles. “The Asurgarh people during that time probably used stone rubbles and tile fragments for flooring their houses and the streets,” Garnayak said. “Besides, silver punch-marked coins, silver and copper toe ring[s] and earrings, [and] and beads of carnelian, jasper, beryl, garnet, agate, and coral have been found.” The coral beads and silver coins suggest the people living at the fort traded with seafaring people, Garnayak added. Glass bangle pieces, sling balls, a pestle, and iron artifacts, including a small wheel, a ring, and an arrowhead, were also recovered. To read about another recent discovery in India, go to “Double Vision.”