Sites & cities that bear the name of Sonargaon

Sonargaon

Today in : Bangladesh
First trace of activity : ca. 20th century B.C.E
Last trace of activity : ca. 19th century C.E
Recorded names : Wari-Bateshwar ruins, Sounagoura, Suvarnabhumi?

Description : Sonargaon (Bengali: সোনারগাঁও; pronounced as Show-naar-gaa; meaning Golden Hamlet) is a historic city in central Bangladesh. It corresponds to the Sonargaon Upazila of Narayanganj District in Dhaka Division. Sonargaon is one of the old capitals of the historic region of Bengal and was an administrative center of eastern Bengal. It was also a river port. Its hinterland was the center of the muslin trade in Bengal, with a large population of weavers and artisans. According to ancient Greek and Roman accounts, an emporium was located in this hinterland, which archaeologists have identified with the Wari-Bateshwar ruins. The area was a base for the Vanga, Samatata, Sena, and Deva dynasties. The Wari-Bateshwar region (Uari-Bôṭeshshor) in Narsingdi, Bangladesh is the site of an ancient fort city. Based on the artifacts found here the city was active between about 2000 BC (or earlier) to 450 BC. The ruins being unearthed near the old course of the Brahmaputra River are a major archaeological discovery in South Asia, which "challenges the earlier notions of early urban civilization in Bengal". The discovery of a pit-dwelling is the first of its kind in Bangladesh. The pit-dwelling is a Copper Age or Chalcolithic artefact. Similar pit-dwellings have been found in India and Pakistan which are believed to be 4000 years old. Later the area was part of the ancient region of Samatata.

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