Deccan holds a prominent position. India with its rich cultural heritage. During its early historic period, one could witness its affluence at its peak, and that was in every sphere of life. However, today, when Indian archaeology is in the mature stages of processual or new archaeology, there are pockets in such a vast region as the Deccan where the basic work of archaeological surveys and the creation of a primary database are lacking. The southern Deccan is one such neglected area. Hence, the present investigation is undertaken to understand the early historic southern Deccan, against the
background of the Early Historic Deccan, in general, and with reference to two notable cities of the period, viz., Karad and Kolhapur. The investigation is concentrated in the area of Southern Deccan, or, more precisely, the ‘Upper Krishna Basin ' in the part of Maharashtra
state, during the Early Historic Period. Around 103 new Early Historic sites were discovered during intensive and extensive exploration. Their settlement and subsistence patterns were reconstructed. A model of ‘Tinai’ from the Ancient Tamils was utilized to understand the economy and interrelations among these sites. It seems that all these sites, with various typologies, are connected through the network of local exchanges. The cities of Karad and Kolhapur emerged as ‘cities’ because of their gateway locations. These
Two cities, by cooperating, managed, organized, and consolidated that network of local exchanges and channelized it toward long-distance trade. The availability of alternative economies, local exchanges, and economic affluence during this period triggered urbanization in the Upper Krishna Basin, Maharashtra, or the Southern Deccan.