Hyderabad: Archaeologists in Hyderabad made a significant discovery on Saturday as they unearthed a prehistoric rock shelter at BNR Hills, located near Jubilee Hills. During their exploration of the rock, known locally as 'Tabelu Gundu' or Tortoise Rock, researchers E Sivanagi Reddy and S Haragopal stumbled upon two Neolithic stone axes, also known as celts, beneath the natural formation. The axes, made from basalt stone, measured 12x7.2x2.1 cms and 9.2x3.9x2.2 cms in length, width, and thickness, respectively. The findings indicate that they belonged to the Neolithic people who practiced intensified agriculture, animal domestication, and temporary settlements between 4000 and 2000 BC. The proximity of water sources, such as Durgam Cheruvu and Malkam Cheruvu, suggests that the Tortoise Rock might have served as a seasonal habitation for these ancient communities. The discovery pushes the antiquity of Hyderabad back to 6,000 years, according to the archaeologists. Recognizing the archaeological significance and uniqueness of the Tortoise Rock formations, Reddy and Haragopal urged residents
