Kondapur

The Archaeological site at Kondapur was first explored by Henry Cousens, a Scottish archaeologist in the 1800s, following which it was excavated by the Department of Archaeology under the Nizam of Hyderabad State from 1940 onwards.

During the excavations, brick and mud mortar structures were revealed, both religious and secular in nature. The bricks used were large (22″X11″X3″) and the religious structures follow a Buddhist typology, as seen in Stupas, Chaityas and monasteries.

 
Another significant finding was the discovery of nearly two thousand coins – many of which were of the Satavahana period, which helped in determining the age of the site. It also appears that coins were minted in this town, as suggested by several coin moulds found in the excavation. A gold coin of the Roman King Augustus (37 B.C.E to 14 C.E) was also found here.

Numerous tools of the Middle Stone Age and Late Stone Age were excavated including thick lunates, blades, flakes and tortoise cores. The other associated finds like terracotta pottery and figurines; ornaments made from gold, copper, ivory, shell, precious and semi-precious stones and terracotta-beads. These findings suggest that the developed civilization had specialized industries producing these objects.