Archeological site discovered in Mansehra

MANSEHRA: An archeological site has been discovered in Mansehra.The Department of Archaeology, Hazara University, had initiated the excavation as a joint project of the Directorate of Archeology and Museums, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, University of Leicester, UK, under the funding of the Pak-UK Education Gateway Programme of the British Council and the Higher Education Commission.

Chairman of Archeology Department, Hazara University, Dr Prof Shakirullah, supervised the project.

The excavation process started after the scientific survey of the site with the development of topographic sheets along with the distribution of grid and trenches at different points of the hill.

Excavations at the site uncovered various cultural materials and archaeological artefacts that were found scattered throughout the existential strata. Based on the material and stratigraphic study, five occupational levels/phases have been clearly identified and marked as per the following sequence.

In all five periods 1. Kushan Period (2nd Century AD); 2. Late Kushan (4th to 5th century AD); 3. Sikh Period (18th to 19th century AD); 4. British period (19th to 20th century AD); 5. Post-independence (20th to 21st century AD) includes on-periods.