This article places on record our gratitude to eminent personalities of Indian archaeology who la... more This article places on record our gratitude to eminent personalities of Indian archaeology who laid the foundations for post-Independence archaeology in India. V.D. Krishnaswami was an exceptional individual with a firm commitment to the growth of prehistoric archaeology in southern India in particular and to carrying forward the legacy left behind by Robert Bruce Foote. His professional career was marked by vicissitudes that came in the way of executing his action plan for Indian prehistory. His post-retirement engagements would have helped turn a new leaf in terms of an administrative career and institution building, but for his premature death, he stands tall among his contemporaries.
Lajjāgaurī and a plethora of many trans-Indian 1 and local names identify the sculpture of a nude... more Lajjāgaurī and a plethora of many trans-Indian 1 and local names identify the sculpture of a nude goddess or 'shameless woman' lying supine with up-raised hands and up-folded legs in a birthing position. These names describe her physical appearance. They are known from a host of Early Historic and Early Medieval sites in the Indian sub-continent. The best examples are known from Karnataka (Satavahana and Chalukya periods), Andhra Pradesh (Ikshavaku and Eastern Chalukya periods), Maharasthra (Satavahana and Rashtrakuta periods), Uttar Pradesh (Bundhelkhand), Chhatisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu (Figure 1). The frequency of her sites is very high on the Indian Peninsula (also called the Deccan). They are made of stone, burnt clay (terracotta), steatite and occasionally metal. They are also seen as bas reliefs and engraved images on stone plaques (generally limestone) of varying sizes as opposed to the sculptural representations of Hariti, a Buddhist fertility deity who had royal patronage during the Kadamba, Chalukya and other early Indian kingdoms. Hariti presents in full human form, unlike Lajjāgaurī who appears headless.
Irfan Habib, Prehistory, 9th edition, People’s History of India Series (New Delhi: Aligarh Histor... more Irfan Habib, Prehistory, 9th edition, People’s History of India Series (New Delhi: Aligarh Historian Society, Tulika Books) 2012, pp. x + 76, ₹ 130 (Paperback). Irfan Habib, The Indus Civilization, 7th edition, People’s History of India Series (New Delhi: Aligarh Historian Society, Tulika Books), 2011, pp. x + 111, ₹ 300 (Paperback).
Settlements on river banks are subject to seasonal floods that are recurrent during the peak of m... more Settlements on river banks are subject to seasonal floods that are recurrent during the peak of monsoon over the Indian subcontinent. Though the intensity of monsoon floods varies from region to region, some areas are prone to intense annual floods. The Ganga-Brahmaputra (G-B) Basin is known for such catastrophic events which are triggered by the monsoon system over the subcontinent, particularly during the southwest monsoon season.
Volume1: Prehistory: The early archaeology of south Asia. volume2: Protohistory: The archaeology ... more Volume1: Prehistory: The early archaeology of south Asia. volume2: Protohistory: The archaeology of the Harappan civilization. volume3: Archaeology of the Harappan civilization volume4: Archaeology and historiography: history, theory and method.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2014
Significance Mammalian extinction during the past several hundred thousand years has been a major... more Significance Mammalian extinction during the past several hundred thousand years has been a major focus for evolutionary biologists, geologists, and archaeologists, often being linked to climate change and human overhunting. Until relatively recently, study has been largely restricted to the Americas, Europe, and Australasia. We present the oldest well-dated sequence of mammalian faunas for the Indian subcontinent, demonstrating continuity of 20 of 21 identified mammals from at least 100,000 y ago to the present. We suggest that, although local extirpations occurred, the majority of taxa survived or adapted to substantial ecological pressures in fragmented habitats. These results complement data from Africa and elsewhere that demonstrate the necessity of a nuanced ecological understanding of such extinctions in different areas of the world.
Petraglia, M., Korisettar, R., Kasturi Bai, M., Boivin, N., B, J., Clarkson, C., Cunningham, K., ... more Petraglia, M., Korisettar, R., Kasturi Bai, M., Boivin, N., B, J., Clarkson, C., Cunningham, K., Ditchfield, P., Fuller, D., Hampson, J., Haslam, M., Jones, S., Koshy, J., Miracle, P., Oppenheimer, C., Roberts, R. & White, K. (2009). Human occupation, adaptation and behavioural change in the pleistocene and holocene of south India: recent investigations in the Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh. Eurasian Prehistory, 6 (1-2), 119-166.
This article places on record our gratitude to eminent personalities of Indian archaeology who la... more This article places on record our gratitude to eminent personalities of Indian archaeology who laid the foundations for post-Independence archaeology in India. V.D. Krishnaswami was an exceptional individual with a firm commitment to the growth of prehistoric archaeology in southern India in particular and to carrying forward the legacy left behind by Robert Bruce Foote. His professional career was marked by vicissitudes that came in the way of executing his action plan for Indian prehistory. His post-retirement engagements would have helped turn a new leaf in terms of an administrative career and institution building, but for his premature death, he stands tall among his contemporaries.
Lajjāgaurī and a plethora of many trans-Indian 1 and local names identify the sculpture of a nude... more Lajjāgaurī and a plethora of many trans-Indian 1 and local names identify the sculpture of a nude goddess or 'shameless woman' lying supine with up-raised hands and up-folded legs in a birthing position. These names describe her physical appearance. They are known from a host of Early Historic and Early Medieval sites in the Indian sub-continent. The best examples are known from Karnataka (Satavahana and Chalukya periods), Andhra Pradesh (Ikshavaku and Eastern Chalukya periods), Maharasthra (Satavahana and Rashtrakuta periods), Uttar Pradesh (Bundhelkhand), Chhatisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu (Figure 1). The frequency of her sites is very high on the Indian Peninsula (also called the Deccan). They are made of stone, burnt clay (terracotta), steatite and occasionally metal. They are also seen as bas reliefs and engraved images on stone plaques (generally limestone) of varying sizes as opposed to the sculptural representations of Hariti, a Buddhist fertility deity who had royal patronage during the Kadamba, Chalukya and other early Indian kingdoms. Hariti presents in full human form, unlike Lajjāgaurī who appears headless.
Irfan Habib, Prehistory, 9th edition, People’s History of India Series (New Delhi: Aligarh Histor... more Irfan Habib, Prehistory, 9th edition, People’s History of India Series (New Delhi: Aligarh Historian Society, Tulika Books) 2012, pp. x + 76, ₹ 130 (Paperback). Irfan Habib, The Indus Civilization, 7th edition, People’s History of India Series (New Delhi: Aligarh Historian Society, Tulika Books), 2011, pp. x + 111, ₹ 300 (Paperback).
Settlements on river banks are subject to seasonal floods that are recurrent during the peak of m... more Settlements on river banks are subject to seasonal floods that are recurrent during the peak of monsoon over the Indian subcontinent. Though the intensity of monsoon floods varies from region to region, some areas are prone to intense annual floods. The Ganga-Brahmaputra (G-B) Basin is known for such catastrophic events which are triggered by the monsoon system over the subcontinent, particularly during the southwest monsoon season.
Volume1: Prehistory: The early archaeology of south Asia. volume2: Protohistory: The archaeology ... more Volume1: Prehistory: The early archaeology of south Asia. volume2: Protohistory: The archaeology of the Harappan civilization. volume3: Archaeology of the Harappan civilization volume4: Archaeology and historiography: history, theory and method.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2014
Significance Mammalian extinction during the past several hundred thousand years has been a major... more Significance Mammalian extinction during the past several hundred thousand years has been a major focus for evolutionary biologists, geologists, and archaeologists, often being linked to climate change and human overhunting. Until relatively recently, study has been largely restricted to the Americas, Europe, and Australasia. We present the oldest well-dated sequence of mammalian faunas for the Indian subcontinent, demonstrating continuity of 20 of 21 identified mammals from at least 100,000 y ago to the present. We suggest that, although local extirpations occurred, the majority of taxa survived or adapted to substantial ecological pressures in fragmented habitats. These results complement data from Africa and elsewhere that demonstrate the necessity of a nuanced ecological understanding of such extinctions in different areas of the world.
Petraglia, M., Korisettar, R., Kasturi Bai, M., Boivin, N., B, J., Clarkson, C., Cunningham, K., ... more Petraglia, M., Korisettar, R., Kasturi Bai, M., Boivin, N., B, J., Clarkson, C., Cunningham, K., Ditchfield, P., Fuller, D., Hampson, J., Haslam, M., Jones, S., Koshy, J., Miracle, P., Oppenheimer, C., Roberts, R. & White, K. (2009). Human occupation, adaptation and behavioural change in the pleistocene and holocene of south India: recent investigations in the Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh. Eurasian Prehistory, 6 (1-2), 119-166.
Here are the abstracts for the Rice Workshop 2019, held at the MS University of Baroda.
Further... more Here are the abstracts for the Rice Workshop 2019, held at the MS University of Baroda.
Conversations in Human Evolution is an ongoing science communication initiative seeking to explor... more Conversations in Human Evolution is an ongoing science communication initiative seeking to explore the breadth and interdisciplinarity of human evolution studies. This volume reports another twenty interviews (referred to as ‘conversations’ as they are informal in style) with scholars at the forefront of human evolution research, covering the broad scientific themes of Palaeolithic archaeology, palaeoanthropology and biological anthropology, earth science and palaeoclimatic change, evolutionary anthropology and primatology, and human disease co-evolution. This project features academics at various different stages in their careers and from all over the world; in this volume alone, researchers are based at institutions in eleven different countries (namely Iran, India, the United Kingdom, Greece, Australia, South Africa, the United States of America, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Israel), covering five continents.
Having arisen at the start of the COVID19 pandemic, Conversations in Human Evolution aims to encourage engagement with both human evolutionary studies and the broader socio-political issues that persist within academia, the latter of which is particularly pertinent during this time of global uncertainty. The conversations delve deeply into the study of our species’ evolutionary history through the lens of each sub-discipline, as well as detailing some of the most current advances in research, theory and methods. Overall, Conversations in Human Evolution seeks to bridge the gap between the research and researcher through contextualisation of the science with personal experience and historical reflection.
The paper highlights the contribution of VD Krishnaswami an archaeologist of high reputation and ... more The paper highlights the contribution of VD Krishnaswami an archaeologist of high reputation and commitment to serving Indian archaeology to the best of his ability. An upright archaeologist who contributed immensely to the growth of prehistoric archaeology at the turn of India's independence.
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Further details can be found at www.ucl.ac.uk/rice in due course.
Having arisen at the start of the COVID19 pandemic, Conversations in Human Evolution aims to encourage engagement with both human evolutionary studies and the broader socio-political issues that persist within academia, the latter of which is particularly pertinent during this time of global uncertainty. The conversations delve deeply into the study of our species’ evolutionary history through the lens of each sub-discipline, as well as detailing some of the most current advances in research, theory and methods. Overall, Conversations in Human Evolution seeks to bridge the gap between the research and researcher through contextualisation of the science with personal experience and historical reflection.