Question

Which of the themes in “Bricks, Beads And Bones: The Harappan Civilisation” would have interested Cunningham? Which are the issues that have been of interest since 1947?

Answer 1

Alexander Cunningham’s 19th-century archaeology focused primarily on early written history, which caused him to miss the significance of the prehistoric Indus Valley. In contrast, post-1947 Indian archaeology shifted toward locating new sites within modern national borders and understanding the daily socio-economic life of the Harappans.

Part 1: Themes that Interested Cunningham

Alexander Cunningham, the first Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), was mainly interested in the Early Historic Period (6th century BCE to 4th century CE). The specific themes from this chapter that would have caught his attention include:

• Religious Artefacts: Items resembling later Indian religious traditions, such as the “Pashupati” seal or Mother Goddess figurines.
• Ancient Inscriptions: Any seals containing scripts or written texts, as he relied heavily on written records and accounts of Chinese Buddhist pilgrims.
• Early Urban Centres: Cities or structures that could be linked back to the traditional historical timeline of the Gangetic Valley.

Part 2: Issues of Interest Since 1947 (Post-Independence)

Following the partition in 1947, major Harappan cities like Mohenjodaro and Harappa became part of Pakistan. This shift completely reoriented Indian archaeological priorities toward new questions:

• Mapping New Border Sites: Discovering and excavating extensive Harappan sites within India, leading to major breakthroughs in Gujarat (Lothal, Dholavira), Rajasthan (Kalibangan), and Haryana (Rakhigarhi).
• Subsistence Strategies: Reconstructing everyday life through ancient diet, plant remains (archaeobotany), and animal bones (archaeozoology).
• Trade and Craft Production: Sourcing raw materials and mapping out long-distance commercial networks with West Asia.
• Social and Political Setup: Investigating whether the civilisation was ruled by a single centralised authority, multiple states, or an egalitarian system.
• The Civilisation’s Collapse: Analysing environmental factors like shifting river courses, climate change, and deforestation that led to the decline of urban centres.