The Archaeology of South Asia: From the Indus to Asoka, c.6500 BCE–200 CEThis book offers a critical synthesis of the archaeology of South Asia from the Neolithic period (c. 6500 BCE), when domestication began, to the spread of Buddhism accompanying the Mauryan Emperor Asoka's reign (third century BCE). The authors examine the growth and character of the Indus civilisation, with its town planning, sophisticated drainage systems, vast cities and international trade. They also consider the strong cultural links between the Indus civilisation and the second, later period of South Asian urbanism which began in the first millennium BCE and developed through the early first millennium CE. In addition to examining the evidence for emerging urban complexity, this book gives equal weight to interactions between rural and urban communities across South Asia and considers the critical roles played by rural areas in social and economic development. The authors explore how narratives of continuity and transformation have been formulated in analyses of South Asia's Prehistoric and Early Historic archaeological record. |
Contents
Introduction and Definitions | 3 |
Key Concepts and Their Archaeological Indicators | 10 |
Collapse and Transformation | 18 |
Traditions Eras and Phases | 25 |
South Asias Environmental | 32 |
Barriers or Opportunities? Areas of Attraction and Areas of Relative Isolation | 46 |
Major Linguistic Families of South Asia | 53 |
Histories of South Asian Archaeology | 67 |
Transformations and Continuities | 281 |
The ReEmergence of Regional Differentiation | 303 |
Introduction | 316 |
Taxila Charsadda and the Northern Valleys c 1200600 BCE | 324 |
The Bannu Basin c 900600 BCE | 330 |
The Deccan | 337 |
Settlement Sites | 344 |
Conclusions | 350 |
From the Early Twentieth Century to Partition | 77 |
Foundations of Postcolonial Archaeology | 85 |
4 | 103 |
5 | 140 |
6 | 184 |
Transformations of a System | 241 |
Conclusions | 484 |
32 | 518 |
| 524 | |
| 528 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Achaemenid agricultural Allchin ancient animals Anuradhapura archaeological artefacts Asokan assemblages associated Baluchistan brick Buddhist burials cemeteries centres century BCE ceramic Chalcolithic Chapter Charsadda circa communities complex Coningham continued copper Dani dates Deccan Delhi demonstrated distinct domestication Early Historic east Erdosy evidence example excavations Figure Harappa hectares identified Inamgaon India indicated Indus Civilisation Indus Valley Tradition inhabitants Integration interpreted Iron Age Jarrige Kalibangan Kenoyer kilometres linked Localisation located Lothal Lumbini Mahajanapadas major material culture Mauryan Empire megalithic Mehrgarh metres metres wide millennium BCE Mohenjo-daro monuments Mound mud-brick Neolithic networks north-west noted occupation Pakistan period phase pillar pits Plan population Possehl pottery presence radiocarbon recorded recovered rectangular region Regionalisation Rehman Dheri River scholars seals sequence settlement Shaffer Shahr-i Sokhta similar social South Asia Sri Lanka Stacul stone structures suggested survey Swat Taxila terracotta Thapar tion trade transformation urban forms urban-focused walls Ware Wheeler Whilst