The Bansadhara River Basin constitutes an important yet comparatively understudied cultural landscape in eastern India, where long-term human engagement with a riverine environment shaped distinctive material traditions. This study examines the material culture of the basin with the aim of understanding patterns of settlement, production, and cultural interaction from the prehistoric to early historic periods. Drawing upon archaeological survey data, surface assemblages, and comparative regional evidence, the paper analyses key categories of material culture, including lithic tools, ceramic assemblages, metallurgical remains, and everyday utilitarian objects. The ceramic record reveals technological continuity alongside gradual stylistic transformation, reflecting both local innovation and selective engagement with broader cultural traditions of coastal and peninsular Odisha. Lithic artefacts demonstrate adaptive strategies rooted in the availability of local raw materials, indicating sustained craft knowledge and flexible subsistence practices. Evidence of early metal use, though limited, suggests the basin’s participation in wider exchange and technological networks without undermining its regional distinctiveness. Spatial variation in material assemblages further points to differentiated zones of habitation, production, and possibly ritual activity along the river course.
Satyanarayana Acharjaya (Sun,) studied this question.