India, an Archaeological History: Palaeolithic Beginnings to

Early Historic Foundations (review)

Heidi J. Miller

Asian Perspectives, Volume 42, Number 2, Fall 2003, pp. 380-383 (Review)

Published by University of Hawai'i Press

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/asi.2003.0044

For additional information about this article

https://muse.jhu.edu/article/48023

Access provided at 5 Nov 2019 20:08 GMT from Western Sydney University
380 asian perspectives . 42(2) . fall 2003

Meadow, R. H., and J. M. Kenoyer stan. Oxford: British Archaeological

1994 Excavations at Harappa 1993: The Reports.
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deakatemia.
Anthropology of India, Pakistan, and
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Nepal: 77–90, ed. J. R. Lukacs. New
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1993 The date of Indus urbanization: A Sharma, K. K.
proposed chronology for the pre- 1995 Quaternary stratigraphy and pre-
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sen. Stuttgart: F. S. Verlag. ed. S. Wadia, R. Korisettar, and V. S.
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India, An Archaeological History: Palaeolithic Beginnings to Early Historic Foundations.

Dilip K. Chakrabarti. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2001. xvi, 374 pp., 56
b/w figs., 8 maps, bibliography, index. Paper. ISBN 09156-5880-9.
Reviewed by Heidi J. Miller, Department of Anthropology,
Harvard University

Dilip K. Chakrabarti’s ambitious goal for landscape seldom changes, and the ways
his book India, An Archaeological History is that cultures exploit their environments
to create a continuous archaeological his- tend to be limited by persistent factors such
tory from the Palaeolithic period up to and as geography, climate, soil type, and water
including Early Historic India. The study resources. Thus, focusing on how environ-
region is described as including the modern ments were used will give coherence to
states of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, a long chronological sequence and to a
and Bangladesh, although the book focuses widely varied geographic region. Interest-
on the archaeological remains uncovered in ingly, Chakrabarti’s goal has a political mo-
India and Pakistan. In order to connect the tivation,
many time periods and ancient cultures in
this vast geographic expanse, Chakrabarti What we want to emphasize in the
context of the ancient history of such
proposes to examine the relationships be-
a vast landmass as the subcontinent of
tween human societies and the land. This India is that it is only through the re-
is a fascinating idea, to use the history of construction of the historical devel-
how human societies lived in the diverse opment of man-land interaction in
environments of South Asia to create an di¤erent parts of the subcontinent
encompassing view of the past. The in situ that the framework of a past accept-

Asian Perspectives, Vol. 42, No. 2 ( 2003 by University of Hawai‘i Press.

 book reviews 381

able to all segments of its population had great influence in the third millennium
can emerge. ( p. 3) b.c. Sites and topics that are well pub-
lished in the specialist literature, such as the
However, political discussion does not play Mehrgarh excavations and evidence at this
a major role in the book and Chakrabarti site for animal and plant domestication, are
hones in on the archaeological remains. described in detail.
In order to meet his goal of creating a The Harappan or Indus civilization
continuous history, he reviews the accu- (Chakrabarti uses both terms) is the topic of
mulated archaeological data per period and Chapter 5 and the sites, chronology, mate-
per region. Beginning with the Palaeo- rials, and trade of this cultural phenomenon
lithic through the Mesolithic periods and are discussed, however some of the details
early village communities, to the Early in this chapter are confusing and mislead-
Historic period of India, Chakrabarti fills ing. For example, Chakrabarti describes his
the chapters with archaeological data. Un- view of the political and social framework
fortunately, there is little overarching nar- of the Harappan civilization as, ‘‘multiple
rative to help the reader contextualize the kingdoms centred around the major settle-
details, and the short introductions and ments of a region’’ ( p. 199) without o¤er-
conclusions to each chapter are over- ing any convincing evidence. In contrast to
whelmed by the amount of detailed infor- his stated view, he notes the, ‘‘prevalence
mation in between. Another major draw- of a common ideology over a wide region,
back of the book is the inadequate use of which one may deduce from the many
citations and references. Other scholars’ re- common symbols, the standardization of
search is generally noted at the beginning di¤erent Harappan artifacts and the general
of sections, but when it is described in the distinction between ‘citadel’ and ordinary
text there are no citations. Also, there are residential area need not necessarily mean
some uncited quotations and some studies political unity under one empire’’ ( pp.
are noted in the text without references. 199–200). This issue is not completely dis-
Following an introductory chapter cussed and, thus, such ambiguity, without
wherein the goals of the book are dis- any data-based reasoning, leaves the reader
cussed and the region is introduced, Chap- lost.
ter 2 reviews the evidence of early humans An additional example of misleading in-
in the subcontinent beginning with the formation in this chapter is the data that
history of Palaeolithic research. Sites are Chakrabarti cites in his description of the
briefly described, chronology is discussed, role of a priesthood in the cities and towns
and some controversies are noted, such as of the Harappan civilization. He writes that
whether the cranial fragment found in the the data he cites, ‘‘unmistakably imply the
Narmada River valley belongs to Homo services of priests—priests of a type that a
erectus or archaic Homo sapiens. In Chapter practicing Hindu would engage for per-
3, Chakrabarti discusses only the Mesolithic forming his household rituals even today
data that falls into chronological position . . .’’ (Chakrabarti 1995, 200). This evi-
between the Palaeolithic remains and the dence includes a limestone head as well as
early farming communities in the region. a few other pieces of stone sculpture from
Hunting-gathering-foraging cultures of the the site of Mohenjo-daro and supposed
subcontinent have existed from the Palaeo- fire altars from the site of Kalibangan,
lithic period until modern times, and which Chakrabarti states were found on
Chakrabarti’s chronological focus does not top of platforms. These data and his inter-
fully appreciate the adaptability of this hu- pretation are problematic for a number of
man environmental strategy. reasons.
The focus of Chapter 4 is on the early First, only the site of Mohenjo-daro has
villages of Baluchistan, the Indus Valley, yielded sculptured stone figures, and a
and northwest India, the areas where the study of this corpus (11 pieces in total) by
Harappan civilization emerged or at least Ardeleanu-Jansen (1984), along with a re-
382 asian perspectives . 42(2) . fall 2003

lated study by Dales (1987), strongly sug- tance of examining Harappan artifacts
gests parallels with other civilizations to within their own cultural context.
the northwest (e.g., the Helmand region). The evidence cited in support of a prac-
Ardeleanu-Jansen describes the sculptures ticing priesthood are a few small fragments
in a squatting or submissive pose while of the Harappan cultural record and from
Kenoyer has recently noted that the partly only two sites. In all, Chakrabarti’s point
kneeling position of many of these figures, that these remains have ritual significance
‘‘can be interpreted as supplication or sub- is understood. However, it does not seem
servience, but this is also a standard position plausible to interpret them as evidence of
for sitting in readiness for action’’ (Kenoyer a priesthood, functioning similar to one in
1998 : 102). In contrast, Chakrabarti sees Hinduism today.
these figures in meditation. Ardeleanu- Chapter 6 describes the archaeological
Jansen and Kenoyer agree that these stone remains found beyond the limits of the
sculptures were ritualistic, yet how they Harappan civilization. Similar in structure
might point to a practicing priesthood, to the early chapters of the book, a com-
functioning similar to such a practice in pendium of sites is presented from a variety
Hinduism today, is not discussed by Chak- of regions in the subcontinent, from the
rabarti. Northwest Frontier Province to southern
The supposed fire altars found at the site India. The varied subsistence practices and
of Kalibangan ( Rajasthan), were found in habitations across this vast area are de-
rooms in both the citadel and lower town, scribed by region, however, there is very
and they were sunken into floors. One of little narrative linking all this data together.
the excavators of that site, B. B. Lal, In Chapter 7, Chakrabarti addresses the
notes that, while such structures were also Early Historic period of India: how it is
found at Banawali (Haryana), they were defined, what it includes, and how it is
not uncovered at Mohenjo-daro, Harappa dated. In addition to the archaeological re-
or any other Indus Valley site. Hence, he mains, he includes the textual evidence for
suggests that these features may be evi- the political structure of India during this
dence of a regional cult (Lal 1997). period.
Second, when considered in their con- What is striking about the archaeologi-
text, the importance of these few stone cal record apparent in this book’s detailed
figures and pit features is diminished by descriptions, is the regionalism of the cul-
the thousands of other motifs, architectural tural remains. Although Chakrabarti would
details, and artifacts found at dozens of like us to see an ‘‘essential character’’ of the
sites, data that Chakrabarti chooses to Early Historic period, rooted in an archae-
overlook. Some of this material does sug- ological continuum from the Palaeolithic,
gest ritual practices, however (and the third it seems very clear that there is a distinct
problem), it remains to be demonstrated amount of regional expression in the mate-
whether the religious beliefs prevalent in rial remains from these time periods and
the Indus Valley five thousand years ago across the varied landscape. Even Chakra-
are Hindu or are reminiscent of Hindu barti notes this, although he prefers to em-
practice. In a detailed iconographic study phasize ‘‘broad uniformity’’ ( p. 318).
of the often-cited proto-Shiva seal from Instead of trying to shoehorn the data
Mohenjo-daro, Srinivasan clearly demon- into a sequential continuum, perhaps it is
strates that when the imagery of the seal better looked at in all its variations and
is compared to its contemporary materials, permutations. Its varied nature could be the
from its own cultural context, there is sig- link connecting the Palaeolithic to early
nificant support for reading the image as a farming communities and further to various
divine bull-man (Srinivasan 1975–1976). third millennium adaptations across the
There is little supporting evidence for landscape. Chakrabarti’s original goal of
interpreting the figure as an early form of examining the human-land relations could
Shiva. This study demonstrates the impor- be used to create a continuum of human-
 book reviews 383

environmental adaptations through time. Reports on Fieldwork Carried out at

Unfortunately, the book loses this focus af- Mohenjo-daro Pakistan 1982–83: 139–
ter the introduction. 158, ed. M. Jansen and G. Urban.
Aachen: IsMEO-Aachen University
This book raises another thought- Mission.
provoking topic: why do we envision the
Chakrabarti, D. K.
archaeological history of South Asia in the 1995 The Archaeology of Ancient Indian
Old World sequence of Palaeolithic, Meso- Cities. Delhi: Oxford University
lithic, Neolithic, to Iron Age? With the evi- Press.
dence of the so-called Mesolithic (hunting- Dales, G. F.
gathering-foraging) societies existing for an 1987 Stone Sculptures from the Proto-
expansive period of time, not limited to a historic Helmand civilization, Af-
particular cultural phase, it is clear that such ghanistan, in Orientalia Iosephi Tucci
Memorial: 219–224, ed. G. Gnoli and
a neat, evolutionary classification of human L. Lanciotti. Serie Orientale Roma
cultural development does not correctly LVI. Rome: Istituto Italiano per
appreciate the archaeological record of Medro Ed Esterno Orienta.
South Asia. How can we envision a con- Kenoyer, J. M.
tinuum of archaeological history, one that 1998 Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civi-
utilizes the regionalism we see in the cul- lization. Karachi: Oxford University
Press and the American Institute of
tural remains with the long-lasting human Pakistan Studies.
adaptations? Chakrabarti’s original thesis
may be the answer: societies’ relationships Lal, B. B.
1997 The Earliest Civilization of South Asia.
with the environment as the key to creat- New Delhi: Aryan Books Interna-
ing an interconnected, long-term archaeo- tional.
logical history of such a vast region. Srinivasan, D.
1975– The so-called proto-Śiva seal from
REFERENCES CITED 1976 Mohenjo-daro: An iconographic as-
Ardeleanu-Jansen, A. sessment. Archives of Asian Art 29 :
1984 Stone sculptures from Mohenjo- 47–58.
daro, in Interim Reports, vol. 1,

Development of a Field Petrographic Analysis System and its Application to the Study of
Socioeconomic Interaction Networks of the Early Harappan Northwestern Indus Valley of
Pakistan. Graham Mansfield Chandler. Oxford: BAR International Series 995,
2001. 425 pp., 75 b/w maps, photos, illustrations, appendices with 164 pp. of
data, bibliography. ISBN 1-84171-196-9.
Reviewed by Heidi J. Miller, Department of Anthropology,
Harvard University

Graham Chandler’s book presents a sys- in Pakistan is a welcome addition to the

tematic and significant research project corpus of analytic studies of South Asian
wherein the methods are clearly discussed pottery. Moreover, Chandler has made a
and the data are published unambiguously. noteworthy contribution by devising a
His analysis of the mineralogical compo- portable petrography kit for producing and
sition and technology of Early Harappan analyzing ceramic thin sections in the field.
(3500–2650 b.c.) ceramics from four sites He shares the process by which he assessed

Asian Perspectives, Vol. 42, No. 2 ( 2003 by University of Hawai‘i Press.