South Asia (Geographic Keyword)
76-82 (82 Records)
The peninsula of Saurashtra is a distinctive physiographical region in western India that is surrounded by the sea on all sides except the east, where it is attached to the mainland of South Asia. This square peninsula, virtually a cul-de-sac, is somewhat isolated when compared to the Gujarat plains that are located to its east. Farmers, pastoralists, crafters and traders have left behind their signatures through settling and unsettling in a region, which is characterized by shallow,...
Untangling Activity Areas in Open Spaces: Ethnography at Jandhala, North Gujarat, India (part II (2016)
Jandhala is a small village in the rural countryside of North Gujarat (India) where many of the activities related to food processing are still non-mechanized. One compound within the village has been investigated ethnographically to test a novel methodology to unravel activity areas. In this paper we present the results of investigations in the courtyard of the compound. Over 170 samples were collected, in a regular grid of 2x2 meters, and analyzed for multi-element geochemistry. We compare our...
Urban Lithics -- The role of stone tools in the Indus and at Harappa (2015)
Lithics are one of the most common artifact classes encountered at nearly every site of the urbanized landscape of the Indus Civilization of Pakistan and Northwest India. This paper examines the lithic assemblage at the urban center of Harappa (3300-1900 BCE), one of the type-sites of the Indus, focusing on the chipped stone assemblage collected by the HARP excavations from 1986-2001. This assemblage is contextualized within the specialized production and the complex inter-regional distribution...
Using Aerial Remote Sensing to Assess Error and Uncertainty in Archaeological Site Mapping (2017)
Archaeologists often find themselves excavating sites where previous investigations have been performed, and documentation relating to earlier work may be of varying quality. This discussion focuses on the use of a topographic mapping drone to assess error and uncertainty in archaeological site survey performed at Tel Lachish, Israel since the 1930’s. Systematic assessments of historical map datasets were performed within a Geographic Information System (GIS) allowing for an enhanced...
Using Computerized X-ray Tomography to track rates of Agricultural Domestication using Seed coat Thickness (2017)
Pulses were an important crop in human prehistory. Tracking traits of domestication in pulses has been limited in the past due to poor preservation of diagnostic features of domestication. Traditionally, morphometric techniques have focused on changes in seed size. The authors measured horsegram (Macrotyloma uniflorum) from South Asia, dating from the Neolithic (2000BC) to the Early Historic Period (400-700AD), which showed an increase through time with domestication. This is in juxtaposition to...
Water Management in the Ancient States of South India and Sri Lanka (2016)
Water management practices have been instrumental in the rise and collapse of many complex societies. Informed through case studies from South India and Sri Lanka this paper explores the importance of water management in their developmental trajectories during the Chola (848-1279 CE) and Sinhalese Empires (377 BCE-1310 CE). Initial conditions that led to the impetus for water management include environment and climate changes. Continued growth and prosperity relied on the development and use of...
Zooarchaeology and the Study of Human-Animal Relationships in Pre and Early Historic South India (2017)
The study of animal remains from archaeological sites has proven to be an invaluable approach to understanding past social, economic, and political practices. Despite the diverse behaviors and sets of relationships animal remains can index, faunal analysis has been an underutilized approach to studying Indian history and prehistory. In this paper, I present new research and zooarchaeological data to demonstrate how human-animal engagements changed throughout the Neolithic (3000-1200 BCE), Iron...