Prehistoric Archaeology in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a perfect case study for how archaeology serves the nation's interests in creating an imagined political community that is imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign. This chapter provides a scientific description of the prehistoric archaeological evidence from Bangladesh. Prehistoric sites with pre-Neolithic and Neolithic stone and fossil wood tools are located in Bangladesh, in the Lalmai-Mainamati region in Comilla district, Chaklapunji Tea State in Habiganj district, Chagalnaiya in Feni district, Sitakunda in Chittagong district, Rangamati district in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, and Wari-Bateshwar in Narsingdi district. These regions contain exposed Pleistocene strata and suitable raw materials for lithic tool production. The Dhupi Tila formation of the Lalmai-Mainamati region and Chaklapunji Tea State is also of Plio-Pleistocene age; however, the most available rock in this region is petrified wood, which was the raw material of a prehistoric industry.