Kayatha culture
Topic: Prehistory: Human Origins and Stone Age Cultures · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Kayatha culture is an early Chalcolithic farming culture of the Malwa region in Madhya Pradesh. Chalcolithic means people used copper alongside stone. It is named after Kayatha, a site near Ujjain, and is dated to c. 2400–2000 BCE. Its people made copper axes, sturdy red pottery painted in a chocolate colour, and necklaces of tiny beads. It is one of the oldest farming cultures of central India.
Example
At Kayatha, near Ujjain, digs found copper axes and necklaces of thousands of tiny steatite (soapstone) beads. They were found together with painted pottery.
Don't confuse with
- Malwa culture: a later Chalcolithic culture of the same region, known from sites such as Navdatoli. It came after the Kayatha culture.