1. Title of dataset: The Archaeology of Vidarbha, Maharashtra: A Census of Known Sites and Remains (Megalithic to Medieval) 2. Author information: Jason D. Hawkes, The British Museum, London, United Kingdom. Riza Abbas, Indian Numismatic Historical and Cultural Research Foundation, Nashik, India. Anne Casile, IRD (French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development), Paris, France. Coline Lefrancq, French Institute of Pondichery, Pondichery, India. Sitaram Toraskar, Indian National Historical and Cultural Research Foundation, Nashik, India. 3. Date of data collection: The data in this dataset were collected between February 2015 and June 2017. 4. Geographic location of data collection: The data in this dataset were collected in archives and libraries in: Mumbai, Nashik and Pune, India; and London, United Kingdom. 5. Keywords: Archaeology, census, excavation, region, survey, South Asia 6. Language: Data in Dutch, English, French, German, Hindi and Marathi were collected and are presented in English 7. Funding: The collection of these data was carried out as part of the Asia Beyond Boundaries project, an ERC Synergy project funded by the European Research Council under the European Union's 7th Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC grant agreement no. 609823, awarded to Dr Michael Willis. 8. Data and file overview: The dataset comprises eight files (Vidarbha_SiteMasterList.csv, Vidarbha_SettlementSites.csv, Vidarbha_ReligiousSites.csv, Vidarbha_SpotFindSites.csv, Vidarbha_CoinSites.csv, Vidarbha_MegalithSites.csv, Vidarbha_OtherSites.csv and Vidarbha_ArchaeologyBibliography.rtf). The seven .csv files can be combined to form a single flat-file database containing all known information about the archaeological sites and remains in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, India. Vidarbha_SiteMasterList.csv contains general information pertaining to the location, site type, discovery and investigation methods for every known site in the Vidarbha region, together with bibliographic references to works that report their discovery and investigation. These references correspond to the works listed in the file Vidarbha_ArchaeologyBibliography.rtf (see below). The remaining six .csv files contain specific data relating to different categories of sites. These categories of site type are defined on the basis of the ways they are recorded in existing scholarship. Vidarbha_SettlementSites.csv contains the data that have been recorded about archaeological sites identified, investigated and defined as Ôsettlement sitesÕ. Vidarbha_ReligiousSites.csv contains the data that have been recorded about sites identified, investigated and defined as Ôreligious sitesÕ. These include: caves, monasteries, monuments and temples that have been identified as locations of religious practice or else attributed to a religious sect. Vidarbha_SpotFindSites.csv contains the data that have been recorded about sites defined on the basis of individual finds. These may be artefacts that are displaced from their original archaeological context that have been reported as isolated or stray finds, or individual artefacts found during wider programmes of excavation or survey that have been reported and studied as individual objects in their own right. Vidarbha_CoinSites.csv contains the data that have been recorded about sites defined on the basis of coins. These include individual coins and groups of coins that have been found and reported in private collections, in archaeological contexts on their own, or in archaeological contexts within wider sites. Vidarbha_MegalithSites.csv contains the data that have been recorded about sites identified, investigated and defined in scholarship as ÔmegalithsÕ. Vidarbha_OtherSites.csv contains the data that have been recorded about sites that do not fall into any of these categories. These include: large earthworks, fortifications and the remains of water management systems. Each of the .csv files containing data specific to particular site types can be related to the file Vidarbha_SiteMasterList.csv. Vidarbha_ArchaeologyBibliography.rtf is a list of all published and unpublished works that were found to contain data pertaining to any of the archaeological sites and remains recorded in the .csv files listed above. Each of these files were created during the period of data collection, and all underwent several revisions during this data collection. The final versions uploaded here were created in March 2019. 9. Sharing and access information: All of these files are openly accessible, and are free to download and shared for academic research. This dataset is published with a Digital Object Identifier (DOI). If the dataset is used for published research, this DOI should be cited together with the following reference: Hawkes, J., Abbas, R., Casile, A., Lefrancq, C. and Toraskar, S. (2020). The Archaeology of Vidarbha, Maharashtra: A Census of Known Sites and Remains (Megalithic to Medieval). 10. Methodological information: These data were collected through archival research of published and unpublished literature on the archaeology, architectural history, epigraphy and history of art of Vidarbha and South Asia. This involved the consultation of a wide variety of paper-based and digital resources in at least six different languages (see above). All information pertaining to known archaeological sites and remains in the study area (Vidarbha, Maharashtra, India) dating to the period of interest (mid-first millennium BCE to early-second millennium CE) were entered into separate spreadsheets. Each spreadsheet corresponded to specific types of sites (as defined in the literature, see above), with one spreadsheet containing the locational and general information shared by all sites and remains. Within each spreadsheet, data pertaining to each site was entered into a single row, with different categories of data entered in separate fields in columns. These fields were defined on the basis of the different categories of information that are recorded about each site in the literature. For instance, descriptions of the artefact or remains that defined the site was considered one category of data, the date of that artefact or remains another, and so on. For the purposes of this study, a site was defined as any location with apparent archaeological remains, isolated individual artefacts and artefacts that had been found during the investigation of a wider site that had since become unique objects of study in their own right (such as a coin found during the excavation of a settlement). Not all site records in the literature are as complete as others. As such, the quantity and quality of the data for each individual site that was entered into the spreadsheet is highly variable. All instances where certain categories of information about a site were found to be missing were also entered into the spreadsheet. Data were then cleaned (removing typographic errors and inconsistencies of data input), and standardised. This involved ensuring that: common spellings and formats for the same data were used throughout the spreadsheets, the same units of measurement were used throughout, and that highly variable data were recorded using the same terms. 11. Data specific information: The data presented in the .csv files is a summary of all of the information that is recorded about all known archaeological sites dating from the mid-first millennium BCE to the early-second millennium CE in the region of Vidarbha, Maharashtra, India. As noted above, data for each site are entered into two spreadsheets. One (Vidarbha_SiteMasterList.csv) contains all data common to all site types, while the other contains data specific to the particular type of site that is recorded (settlements, religious sites, spot finds, coins, megaliths and other types of sites). In each spreadsheet, every entry is identified by a unique site code together with its name (as recorded in reports of its discovery or investigation). These unique site codes thus provide the means by which entries for the same site in different spreadsheets can be linked for comparison or inter-relational analyses. In each spreadsheet, different types of information pertaining to each site are recorded in separate fields in columns. The field headings used in each spreadsheet are as follows: For the file Vidarbha_SiteMasterList.csv SiteCode Ð unique alphanumeric identification code applied to a site SiteName Ð the name of the site as recorded in the literature Village Ð the name of the modern village where the site or artefact(s) is located Taluk Ð the name of the local administrative area where the site or artefact(s) is located District Ð the name of the modern administrative district where the site or artefact(s) is located State Ð the name of the modern state where the site or artefact(s) is located YCoord Ð the longitude coordinates for the site location (recorded in decimal degrees) XCoord Ð the latitude coordinates for the site location (recorded in decimal degrees) Accuracy Ð the accuracy of the recorded site location OriginalContext Ð whether or not the site or artefact(s) is still in its original context LocationNotes Ð Additional notes (if recorded) regarding the location of the site DiscoveryContext Ð how the site was discovered (by chance, during survey, or excavation) StatedAim Ð the stated aim of the investigation that resulted in the siteÕs discovery InferredAim Ð if the aim is not recorded, the inferred aim of the investigation that resulted in the siteÕs discovery SurveyMethod Ð the survey methodology used in the discovery and/or recording of the site SiteType Ð the type of site being recorded RecordedDate Ð the date of the site recorded in the literature C14? Ð whether or not the site has been radiocarbon dated Dynasty Ð the royal dynasty to which the site has been attributed Phase(s)? Ð whether or not the site is recorded as dating to one or multiple phases of use IA Ð whether or not the site can be considered to date to the Iron Age, which in this region dates from approximately the early- to mid-first millennium to late-first millennium BCE EH Ð whether or not the site can be considered to date to the early historic period, which in this region dates from approximately the late-first millennium BCE to the early first millennium CE VAK Ð whether or not the site can be considered to date to the reign of the Vakatakas, who ruled this region from the fourth to the seventh centuries CE EM Ð whether or not the site can be considered to date to the early medieval period, which in this region dates from approximately the mid-first millennium to the early-second millennium CE M Ð whether or not the site can be considered to date to the late medieval period, which in this region dates from approximately the early- to mid-second millennium CE Investigator Ð the name(s) of the investigator who discovered, surveyed and/or excavated the site DateInvestigated Ð the date(s) the site was investigated InvMethod Ð the investigation method that was used when the site was first discovered and recorded Reference Ð references to the site in the literature (corresponding to entries in the associated file Vidarbha_ArchaeologyBibliography.rtf) For the file Vidarbha_SettlementSites.csv SiteCode Ð unique alphanumeric identification code applied to a site SiteName Ð the name of the site as recorded in the literature SiteArea(ha) Ð the total area of the archaeological site Mound(s)? Ð whether or not the site is defined by the presence of a habitation mound MoundElevation(m) Ð the approximate elevation of the habitation mound (in metres) MoundExtentNS(m) Ð the approximate extent of the habitation mound from north to south (in metres) MoundExtentEW(m) Ð the approximate extent of the habitation mound from east to west (in metres) SurfaceScatter(s)? Ð whether or not the site is defined by the presence of a surface scatter ScatterExtentNS(m) Ð the approximate extent of the surface scatter from north to south (in metres) ScatterExtentEW(m) Ð the approximate extent of the surface scatter from north to south (in metres) VisibleArchFeatures? Ð whether or not there are any other archaeological features visible at the site ExcavationMethod Ð the method(s) of excavation that was used ExcavatedArea(m2) Ð the total area of excavation ExcavatedAreaDetails Ð any additional details regarding the area of the site that was excavated ExFeatureType(s) Ð the type(s) of features that were encountered during excavation ExFeatureNotes Ð any additional notes regarding the features that were encountered during excavation Pottery Ð whether or not any pottery was found at the site PotteryDetails Ð details of the pottery found at the site Brick Ð whether or not any brick was found at the site BrickDetails Ð details of the brick ound at the site Bone Ð whether or not any bone was found at the site BoneDetails Ð details of the bone found at the site Glass Ð whether or not any glass was found at the site GlassDetails Ð details of the glass found at the site Metal Ð whether or not any metal was found at the site MetalDetails Ð details of the metal found at the site Shell Ð whether or not any shell was found at the site ShellDetails Ð details of the shell found at the site Slag Ð whether or not any slag was found at the site SlagDetails Ð details of the slag found at the site Stone Ð whether or not any stone was found at the site StoneDetails Ð details of the stone found at the site Terracotta Ð whether or not any terracotta was found at the site TerracottaDetails Ð details of the terracotta found at the site Enviro Ð whether or not any were collected from the site EnviroDetails Ð details of the environmental remains found at the site OtherFinds Ð whether or not any other artefacts were found at the site ArtefactNotes Ð details of the other artefacts found at the site RecordedDate Ð the date of the site recorded in the literature BasisOfDate(s) Ð the basis of the date recorded in the literature SiteInterp Ð the way the site has been interpreted in the literature For the file Vidarbha_ReligiousSites.csv SiteCode Ð unique alphanumeric identification code applied to a site SiteName Ð the name of the site as recorded in the literature RelFeatureType Ð the type of feature that defines the site RelFeatureDescription Ð description of the feature that defines the site ReligiousAffiliation Ð the religious group that the site has been associated with DeityName Ð the name of the deity associated with the site RelFeatureDate Ð the date of the site recorded in the literature BasisOfDate Ð the basis of the date recorded in the literature Sculptures?- whether or not there are any sculptures at the site SculptureNotes Ð notes regarding the sculptures at the site Inscription(s)? Ð whether or not there are any inscriptions at the site InscriptionText Ð the text of the inscriptions at the site InscriptionNotes Ð notes regarding the inscriptions at the site AssociatedFeatures Ð whether or not there are any other associated features at the site AssociatedArtefacts Ð whether or not there are any other associated artefacts at the site SiteInterpretation Ð the way the site has been interpreted in the literature For the file Vidarbha_SpotFindSites.csv SiteCode Ð unique alphanumeric identification code applied to a site SiteName Ð the name of the site as recorded in the literature FindType Ð the type of artefact that defines the sites Description Ð description of the artefact that defines the site RecordedDate Ð the date of the site recorded in the literature BasisOfDate(s) Ð the basis of the date recorded in the literature InSitu? Ð whether or not the artefact defining the site was found in situ Notes Ð any additional notes regarding the site For the file Vidarbha_CoinSites.csv SiteCode Ð unique alphanumeric identification code applied to a site SiteName Ð the name of the site as recorded in the literature Description Ð description of the coin(s) that define the site DateRecorded Ð the date of the coin(s) recorded in the literature BasisOfDate Ð the basis on which this date is attributed to the coin(s) InSitu? Ð whether or not the coin(s) was found in an archaeological context ContextNotes Ð notes regarding the context in which the coin(s) was found Number Ð the number of coin(s) recorded Metal Ð the metal used to make the coin(s) Weight(g) Ð the weight of the coin(s) Diameter(cm) Ð the diameter of the coin(s) ObverseDescription Ð description of the obverse face of the coin(s) ReverseDescription Ð description of the reverse face of the coins(s) Issuer Ð the dynasty that issued the coin(s) TypeNumber Ð the number of any pre-defined type of coin that this find belongs to ImageID Ð an identification or reference to any image of the coin that exists Notes Ð any additional notes regarding the coin(s) Location Ð the current location of the coin(s) For the file Vidarbha_MegalithSites.csv SiteCode Ð unique alphanumeric identification code applied to a site SiteName Ð the name of the site as recorded in the literature MegType Ð the type of megalithic monument recorded MegDescription Ð description of the megalith recorded MegNotes Ð any additional notes recorded in the literature For the file Vidarbha_OtherSites.csv SiteCode Ð unique alphanumeric identification code applied to a site SiteName Ð the name of the site as recorded in the literature OtherFeatureType Ð the type of feature that defines the site OtherFeatureDescription Ð description of the feature that defines the site OtherFeatureNotes Ð any additional notes regarding the feature OtherObjectType Ð the type of object(s) that might also be present at the site OtherObjectDescription Ð description of that object(s) OtherObjectNotes Ð any additional notes regarding that object(s) AdditionalNotes Ð any additional notes regarding the site In these files, the following abbreviations are used: ASI Ð Archaeological Survey of India ASI (Aurang) Ð Aurangabad Circle ASI (Central) Ð Central Circle of the ASI ASI (Nagpur) Ð Excavation branch of the ASI at Nagpur ASI (SE) Ð South East Circle BNSS Ð Bodhisattva Nagarjun Smarak Sanstha Va Anusandhan Kendra Nagpur DAMM Ð State Directorate of Archives, Archaeology and Museums, Government of Maharashtra DC Ð Deccan College MU Ð Mumbai University NU Ð Nagpur University (Dept. Ancient Indian History Culture and Society) PC Ð Private Collector SU Ð Sagar University For the file Vidarbha_ArchaeologyBibliography.rtf, there are no data fields. This file consists of all bibliographic references that were found to contain reports and/or descriptions of known archaeological sites and remains in Vidarbha. References are presented in a standard reference format.