Vol-3 Number-3 July 2018
Chief Editor: Vijay Kumar
Publisher: National Trust for Promotion of Knowledge, Lucknow
Mode of Publication: Online (e-Journal)
Coastal areas, where the world oceans intersect the Continents, harbours rich biodiversity and supports millions of people living in these zones. Vegetation plays a pivotal role in protecting the coastline with the help of its strong root and canopy networks breaking the strength of the tidal effect and storms/cyclones etc. Mangroves, one of the well know coastal wetland vegetation has long been used as markers of shoreline or Palaeo-shoreline. With the rise in sea level these are forced towards land and with the regression in shoreline these tend to migrate seawards. The pollen grains of these and associated vegetation that are dispersed in coastal zone are in general preserved in the sediments and are good proxy data to infer chronological mangrove evolution, hinterland vegetation and the relative sea level rise and fall in the geological past. The study is useful in predicting the future dynamics of the coastal wetlands and Coastal Economic Zones.
This article by Dr. Vikas Pawar, Dr. R.N. Singh and Dr. Cameron Petrie examines the settlement pattern on the margin of Thar Desert. Early Harappan settlements are more than mature Harappan settlements. Early Harappans located their sites in alluvial plain/ sandy areas near paleo channels. The sites away from river beds are smaller in comparison those along the river sides. This remains true during historical and medieval period also. The alluvial plains which were inundated by flood waters of the rivers made agriculture easier. Late Harappan phase reveals lesser number of sites. It appears that there is great decrease in settlements reflecting unfavorable conditions. Late Harappan phase shows no monumental structures, large size settlements in town planning. Some scripts and graffitis are present there. Surplus flood economy, distant trade and control of central authority almost seized to exist. The trend remains during Harappan and late Harappan period. The PGW sites are in alluvial plain. The historical settlements are located in sandy areas which shows that soil was not important for them. In medieval period, people first settled in alluvial plain and then moved on to sandy areas. The average size decreases from early Harappan to late Harappan period.
The present paper attempts to conduct a preliminary Petrological investigation on an Early Iron Age burial site at Ihala Kalwella Ulpatha in Anuradhapura District of Sri Lanka. In the local context, earth science applications are rarely used to decode archaeological contexts, specially related to the protohistoric phase in the island. In this regard, the writer attempts to examine the geo-archaeological background and the raw material usage of the burial site by using Petrological approach. Results proved that four major rock types were used to make burials. However, the writer noted that some types are commonly used and some types are rarely used as a raw material. Field survey proposed that there is a direct relationship between the rock type usage and the locational distances of raw material sites in the study area.
This article by Mr. Vijay Kumar reconstructs the history of the Kannauj city and the surrounding area with the help of archaeological artefacts and other data locally found. The pottery pieces, coins, stone sculpture pieces, terracotta figures and the monuments have been used in this reconstruction process. The OCP found in the lowest levels of Kannauj mound and its occurrence all over the city from North to South indicates that even during Chalcolithic period, the city was very large and the literary narratives about the ancient history of this place assume a new meaning. Surprisingly, random finds of the coins give a very good picture of the monetization of the economy. The Sharqi monuments in Kannauj city give very good idea of the evolution of regional style of architecture during Sultanate period.
This article by Alok Ranjan mentions epigraphs which throw light on social and religious conditions of the past. One inscription from Bichhare Hill, district Lakhisarai shows that the son of a poet takes up the job of a stone cutter. Two other inscriptions indicate the prevalence of Sati in district Vidisha and district Bhind in Madhya Pradesh. Some Jain inscription reveal that Jainism was prevalent in Nalanda, Bihar and Bhind (M.P) during 1412 vikram samvat and 1794 A.D. Some other inscriptions throw light on the state of Buddhism in Nalanda district.
This article by Deepak Kumar and Raghvendra Singh is the catalogue of the coins found from Kannauj city area and presently kept in Government Archaeological Museum, Kannauj U.P. The analysis reveals that the metal money in the hands of the people was more during Mauryan, Kushan, Pratihar, Sultanate and Mughal period. Silver was replaced by Gold and Copper by Kushan period as the metal used for making coins. Gupta period saw the rise of imperial age after Mauryan but this period has yielded only one coin of silver. Copper was not used for making coins and the availability of metal money was very less with the people. There was boost in trade and commerce during Pratihar period. The increase in the availability of metal money was maximum during Mughal period. Surprisingly later Mughal period shows maximum circulation of metal coins.
Sher Shah Suri’s tomb is the first finest mausoleum of its kind which was built by Sher Shah Suri in 1545 A.D. This tomb has been inspired by the Sultanate period. The architectural style of Suri dynasty which contributed to the Indo-Islamic architecture has put the Sasaram on the world map. The architectural master piece is the amalgamation of indigenous materials, craftsmen and Persian concept. In this study, the authors have tried to identify and clarify the architectural styles used for the mausoleum of Sher Shah Suri and from which tradition this heritage was inspired. It deals with the architectural characteristic of the monument that how the concept of constructing the tomb inside of artificial water body came into existence.
Between 1616 and the close of the 17th century, the English East India Company founded several factories along the coastline of modern-day Kerala to exploit regional markets for spices, principally pepper, and textiles. Assessment of contemporary documentary sources reveals detail of their architectural form which varied from simple vernacular structures to forts built to military blueprints, as well as the circumstances of their foundation, development and in some instances dissolution. These elements were influenced by a complex array of economic and geo-political factors, operating on local, regional and international scales. Though none of the sites in question have been subject to intrusive archaeological investigation, limited programmes of excavation have taken place at a small number of European factory sites in the Coromandel region. The results of these recent investigations demonstrate the range of archaeological evidence that could be gathered from the Malabar sites. In addition to structural remains of the factories themselves, rich assemblages of material culture preserved in associated contexts offer insight into prevailing domestic arrangements of the factories’ occupants and the patterns of trade in which they were engaged. In this context a historical archaeology approach could provide an innovative angle from which to tackle several broader, yet linked, areas of research. These might include the impact of the European arrival on regional geo-politics and economies, the origins of Indian cultural influence on the west, the emergence of colonialism and the study of nascent globalization.
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