Archaeozoological Finds from the Painted Grey Ware Site Kaserua Khera, Palval, Uttar Pradesh

Falguni Katkar* and Gunjan Shrivastav

Faunal remains recovered from archaeological sites reflect a long and complex history of human - animal relationships, encompassing multiple levels of interaction focused on sustained sources of energy essential for survival and prosperity. Moreover, such remains serve as reliable indicators of ancient environmental conditions that supported stable settlement patterns and the development of economic systems. The Painted Grey Ware site of Kaserua Khera, located in the plains of the Yamuna River, is no exception in this regard. Its diverse faunal assemblage holds significant potential for understanding patterns of subsistence and food economy. The present paper presents the preliminary results of faunal analysis conducted on animal skeletal remains excavated during two field seasons (2022-23 and 2023-24) at Kaserua Khera, Village Manpur, District Palwal, Haryana, India. For the wholistic understanding of the subsistence of the PGW period settlement at the site multidisciplinary approaches are adopted. The archaeofaunal material is examined from the taphonomic, sociocultural and histological point of view which reflects that the site stands at unique crossroads as there is exploitation of wide array of domestic as well as wild species.