412 
J. HORNELL ON 
Tlie localities in Mysore, Bellary, Anantapur, Kurnul and Hyderabad adjoin one 
another and form a solid block or district in the southern Deccan, some 250 miles 
from north to south and 150 miles from east to west. The find in Kistna District is 
of separate importance as it consists of two fragments of finished bangles associated 
with Buddhist objects (lead coins, head of figurine, etc.) which cannot of course be 
considered prehistoric. 
The localities in Gujarat and Kathiawar form a second well-marked geographical 
area, being situated around the Gulf of Cambay and adjacent to a coast where chanks 
are fished at the present day. 
Omitting Kistna District, Mr. Bruce Foote’s collections and explorations indicate 
only these two localities as centres of ancient chank-working in an examined area 
which extends from Tinnevelly on the south to Rajputana in the north, an area 
inclusive of the whole of Central and Southern India. 
In order to be in a position to decide the age of these chank fragments it will be 
most satisfactory if I tabulate in the following pages the various sets and give such 
details as Mr. Bruce Foote supplies in his descriptive catalogue of the collection, with 
such commentary on each as may be pertinent to the subject at issue. 
Mysore. 
Srinivaspur in Kolar Taluq. No. 202. 1 Six fragments of chank bangles asso- 
ciated with iron slag, No. 202 (158), the half of a weathered basalt celt and large 
quantities of fragments of pottery. The particular place where the above were found 
was to the east of the big tank at Srinivaspur, “ where several acres of ground are 
“ covered with much comminuted earthenware lying in a thin layer, With 
f ‘ the pottery I found half a celt of basalt minus its butt but weathered and trimmed 
“ at its cutting edge. Half a dozen pieces of broken bangles of chank shell occurred 
“ scattered about in the layer of potsherds. Noteworthy among the broken sherds 
' are the vase bases Nos. 202/83 — 91 of highly polished brown, or red and brown 
“ colours.” A flat sherd, No. 202 — 99, i s described as “ black half polished with an 
“ impressed pattern like many small tents ; a similar fragment was found by Mr. R. 
“Sewell at Gudivada in the Kistna district.” The age of these potsherds, etc., is 
stated by Bruce Foote both on page ir and on page 23, volume 2, as apparently 
neolithic. I11 my opinion, however, the presence of chank bangle fragments found 
among the pottery indicates the age to be considerably later than neolithic days and 
at a time when iron was freely employed as I cannot admit that chank shells can be 
sawn and bangles made therefrom without the use of a metal saw ; the association 
of a fragment of iron slag is significant. Apart from this, the presence of No. 202/99, 
described as decorated with a similar pattern to that upon some fragments of a fine 
vessel found at Gudivada in the Kistna District, is evidence in favour of the compara- 
tively late date of these Kolar specimens. The Kistna ones belong certainly to 
historic times as they comprise lead coins, a terra cotta head of a figurine, very 
1 lie numbers noted are those given in Mr. Bruce Foote’s “ Catalogue Raisonne,” Madras Government Museum, 
19 1 1. 
