Early Iron Age in Eastern Vidarbha

Excavations at Malli, Gondia, Maharashtra

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Extent: 298 pages

Publisher: Wiley-VCH

Subjects: Asian/Pacific Studies & Religions, World Archaeology

Language: English

Paperback (Forthcoming)

(December 2026)

ISBN: 9781805834144

7.99 x 10.91 inches

Price: $65.00

This volume presents the first detailed report on the Malli site in central India, combining evidence from settlement and megalithic burial excavations. Through archaeological and scientific analyses, it sheds new light on Iron Age lifeways, technology, funerary practices and social organisation in the region.


Early Iron Age in Vidarbha: Excavations at Malli, Gondia, Maharashtra, provide the first detailed report of the significant Early Iron Age–Megalithic site in Malli, Gondia District, eastern Vidarbha. The excavation marks the first scientifically documented Megalithic settlement and burial site in the district, offering crucial insights into the origins and evolution of Early Iron Age groups in Central India. Nearly 400 megalithic burials of different architectural styles were discovered, along with habitation deposits, offering a valuable opportunity to examine the relationship between the living and the dead at a single site. The report offers detailed analyses of the stratigraphical development, settlement layout, ceramic industries, iron technology, structural remains, burial structures, and artefact collections. The report includes a site description, discovery and issues, together with scientific analyses of pottery and iron, and specialised studies in palaeobotany, palaeozoology, and phytoliths, to provide a comprehensive understanding of Malli’s inhabitants. This report not only presents excavation data but also places Malli within the broader archaeological landscape of the Indian Iron Age. Richly illustrated with plans, photographs, drawings, maps, and artefact catalogues, this book is an essential resource for archaeologists, historians, anthropologists, heritage professionals, and students interested in the archaeology of Vidarbha, central India, the Deccan, and South Asia. It will play a significant role in advancing the understanding of Early Iron Age cultural history in Central India and highlights Malli as an important site for future interdisciplinary studies.