Roots of Ancient India: Archaeology of South Asia

Catalog description

Archaeological discoveries in South Asia (modern India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal) reveal a continuous record of human habitation from almost two million years ago until the present. Early human populations in the region encountered dramatically changing ecological conditions resulting in various cultural adaptations over this long period. Beginning with the earliest hunter-gatherer populations, archaeological data reveal a diversity of cultural changes/adaptations in South Asia resulting in the indigenous development of sedentary agricultural societies coexisting with hunters and gatherers, and with pastoral nomadic groups interacting over diverse econiches. These cultural developments resulted in the formation of the Harappan (Indus Valley) culture - a unique, ancient (2600-1300 BC) Old World civilization. Archaeological data indicate this Harappan culture provided basic fundamental cultural traits that evolved into the culturally Early Historic Indian Tradition. Special attention is given to theoretical controversies surrounding the cultural continuity issue in South Asian culture history and its significance for understanding Old World archaeology. Recommended preparation: ANTH 102 or ANTH 107 . Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.