Alison L Gascoigne
For current information on my research and publications, please go to my Southampton staff profile page:
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/archaeology/about/staff/alg1w07.page?
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/archaeology/about/staff/alg1w07.page?
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The Ghurid dynasty of central Afghanistan (543-612 AH / 1148-1215 CE) is characterized as ruling over a seasonally nomadic society, a sizable proportion of which migrated annually between the lowland wintering region of Zamin-Dawar and its upland summer ‘capital’ at Firuzkuh. Firuzkuh is thought to be modern Jam, the site of the second tallest pre-modern minaret in the world. The 65 m high minaret has transfixed visitors to Jam and scholars alike since its re-discovery in 1957, leading most to conclude that it is an isolated monument with little more than minor fortifications nearby.
Recent fieldwork by the Minaret of Jam Archaeological Project, however, has radically altered our understanding of the site. Along with the analysis of satellite images, we have demonstrated the existence of a ca 19 hectare settlement around the minaret, with significant areas of terraced domestic, as well as civic, structures. The size of the site implies a population which probably exceeded the natural carrying capacity of the surrounding landscape. High status imported sherds amongst the ceramic assemblage indicate that the site was integrated into the exchange systems of the region, despite its remote location, and appear to corroborate the historical accounts of loot flowing into the capital from the Ghurids’ campaigns in the northern Indian sub-continent. The significant investment in both the construction and elaboration of monumental and more mundane structures at Jam challenges long-established assumptions about nomads’ attitudes towards the built environment.
The Bala Hissar was the royal, military and administrative heart of Kabul for a significant period before it was occupied by British forces during the first two Anglo-Afghan wars in the nineteenth century. Despite its archaeological and historical significance, part of the site continues to function as a military base, an expan- sion of which began in 2007 when nine large holes were bulldozed into the site before protests halted the work. This paper details the findings of an archaeological impact assessment undertaken in July 2007, and incorporates an analysis of satellite images documenting further construction in 2009. The results provide the first explicit archaeological (in particular ceramic) evidence suggesting deep continuity of occupation at the site. The contested ownership and uncertain future of the Bala Hissar in Kabul exemplify the pressures placed on archaeological sites around the world, in the face of uncontrolled development and competing agendas.
Keywords
Bala Hissar; Kabul; Afghanistan; historic fort; ceramics
Recent research into the form and functionality of pottery has considered ceramic transition as reflecting changes in cultural practice, in particular cooking and/or dining habits. This has raised questions of the choices and motivations behind the acquisition and use of new types of ceramic and associated technologies, which are bound up with issues of identity, lifestyle, acceptance or resistance to change, and so on. This paper considers these issues in relation to ceramic assemblages from the medieval Middle East. No significant changes can be discerned in such assemblages contemporary with the Arab conquests, but major innovation and transition came about through the 9th century, leading to the development of a largely new ceramic corpus. Other changes to the material culture associated with food preparation also occur, in particular the widespread trade of steatite cooking vessels, and the introduction of new foodstuffs. Certain forms of steatite vessel have been described as imitations of bronze cauldrons; additionally, ceramic wares have been described as imitations of steatite vessels. Such descriptions set up a questionable hierarchy of perceived value and quality. This paper will therefore address the relationships between different materials in terms of choices relating to food preparation, value and efficiency, in the light of archaeological and historical evidence for use and distribution.
Keywords: Cooking pots, cuisine, skeuomorphism, innovation, imitation, emulation.
This paper presents preliminary results of field recording of ceramic material from Jām, Ghūr province, Afghanistan, a site which has been associated with Fīrūzkūh, the summer capital of the Ghurid dynasty. A fabric series and catalogue of forms is presented, in addition to the results of some initial scientific analyses. Comparisons have been drawn with corpora from other sites in Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia, and the significance of the material is discussed in light of the regional and chronological significance of assemblages from this area.
Keywords
Jām; ceramics; Ghurids; petrology; Afghanistan
The Ghurid dynasty of central Afghanistan (543-612 AH / 1148-1215 CE) is characterized as ruling over a seasonally nomadic society, a sizable proportion of which migrated annually between the lowland wintering region of Zamin-Dawar and its upland summer ‘capital’ at Firuzkuh. Firuzkuh is thought to be modern Jam, the site of the second tallest pre-modern minaret in the world. The 65 m high minaret has transfixed visitors to Jam and scholars alike since its re-discovery in 1957, leading most to conclude that it is an isolated monument with little more than minor fortifications nearby.
Recent fieldwork by the Minaret of Jam Archaeological Project, however, has radically altered our understanding of the site. Along with the analysis of satellite images, we have demonstrated the existence of a ca 19 hectare settlement around the minaret, with significant areas of terraced domestic, as well as civic, structures. The size of the site implies a population which probably exceeded the natural carrying capacity of the surrounding landscape. High status imported sherds amongst the ceramic assemblage indicate that the site was integrated into the exchange systems of the region, despite its remote location, and appear to corroborate the historical accounts of loot flowing into the capital from the Ghurids’ campaigns in the northern Indian sub-continent. The significant investment in both the construction and elaboration of monumental and more mundane structures at Jam challenges long-established assumptions about nomads’ attitudes towards the built environment.
The Bala Hissar was the royal, military and administrative heart of Kabul for a significant period before it was occupied by British forces during the first two Anglo-Afghan wars in the nineteenth century. Despite its archaeological and historical significance, part of the site continues to function as a military base, an expan- sion of which began in 2007 when nine large holes were bulldozed into the site before protests halted the work. This paper details the findings of an archaeological impact assessment undertaken in July 2007, and incorporates an analysis of satellite images documenting further construction in 2009. The results provide the first explicit archaeological (in particular ceramic) evidence suggesting deep continuity of occupation at the site. The contested ownership and uncertain future of the Bala Hissar in Kabul exemplify the pressures placed on archaeological sites around the world, in the face of uncontrolled development and competing agendas.
Keywords
Bala Hissar; Kabul; Afghanistan; historic fort; ceramics
Recent research into the form and functionality of pottery has considered ceramic transition as reflecting changes in cultural practice, in particular cooking and/or dining habits. This has raised questions of the choices and motivations behind the acquisition and use of new types of ceramic and associated technologies, which are bound up with issues of identity, lifestyle, acceptance or resistance to change, and so on. This paper considers these issues in relation to ceramic assemblages from the medieval Middle East. No significant changes can be discerned in such assemblages contemporary with the Arab conquests, but major innovation and transition came about through the 9th century, leading to the development of a largely new ceramic corpus. Other changes to the material culture associated with food preparation also occur, in particular the widespread trade of steatite cooking vessels, and the introduction of new foodstuffs. Certain forms of steatite vessel have been described as imitations of bronze cauldrons; additionally, ceramic wares have been described as imitations of steatite vessels. Such descriptions set up a questionable hierarchy of perceived value and quality. This paper will therefore address the relationships between different materials in terms of choices relating to food preparation, value and efficiency, in the light of archaeological and historical evidence for use and distribution.
Keywords: Cooking pots, cuisine, skeuomorphism, innovation, imitation, emulation.
This paper presents preliminary results of field recording of ceramic material from Jām, Ghūr province, Afghanistan, a site which has been associated with Fīrūzkūh, the summer capital of the Ghurid dynasty. A fabric series and catalogue of forms is presented, in addition to the results of some initial scientific analyses. Comparisons have been drawn with corpora from other sites in Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia, and the significance of the material is discussed in light of the regional and chronological significance of assemblages from this area.
Keywords
Jām; ceramics; Ghurids; petrology; Afghanistan