Researchers at the Archaeological Science Quarterly have announced a revolutionary dating methodology called Laser-Induced Carbon-14 Microsampling. This technique has been applied to the enigmatic Neolithic ashmounds of Karnataka, pushing back their established timeline to approximately 3000 BCE with an unprecedented margin of error of just ten years.
The refined dates suggest that these massive vitrified mounds were part of a sophisticated pastoral economy that existed concurrently with the Early Harappan phase. This technological leap allows archaeologists to resolve long-standing debates regarding the synchronization of South India's Neolithic cultures with the urban developments in the Indus Valley, providing a clearer picture of the subcontinent's interconnected prehistory.