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In the third millennium B.C.E., the Oman Peninsula was the site of
an important kingdom known in Akkadian texts as "Magan," which
traded extensively with the Indus Civilization, southern Iran, the
Persian Gulf states, and southern Mesopotamia. Excavations have
been carried out in this region since the 1970s, although the
majority of studies have focused on mortuary monuments at the
expense of settlement archaeology. While domestic structures of the
Bronze Age have been found and are the focus of current research at
Bat, most settlements dating from the third millennium B.C.E. in
Oman and the U.A.E. are defined by the presence of large, circular
monuments made of mudbrick or stone that are traditionally called
"towers." Whether these so-called towers are defensive,
agricultural, political, or ritual structures has long been
debated, but very few comprehensive studies of these monuments have
been attempted. Between 2007 and 2012, the University of
Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology conducted
excavations at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bat in the
Sultanate of Oman under the direction of the late Gregory L.
Possehl. The focus of these years was on the monumental stone
towers of the third millennium B.C.E., looking at the when, how,
and why of their construction through large-scale excavation,
GIS-aided survey, and the application of radiocarbon dates. This
has been the most comprehensive study of nonmortuary Bronze Age
monuments ever conducted on the Oman Peninsula, and the results
provide new insight into the formation and function of these
impressive structures that surely formed the social and political
nexus of Magan's kingdom.
Located in the Mewar region of Rajasthan, India, Gilund is the
largest known site of the Ahar-Banas Cultural Complex, a large
agropastoral group that was contemporaneous with and flanked by the
Indus Civilization. Occupied during the Chalcolithic and Early
Historic periods, the ancient site of Gilund holds significant
clues to understanding third millennium B.C.E cultural interactions
in South Asia and beyond. Excavations at Gilund provides a full
analysis of the artifacts recovered during the five-year excavation
project conducted by the University of Pennsylvania and Deccan
College. The excavators investigated the regional development of
early farming villages, their shifting subsistence practices, their
economy and trade with other cultures, and the traces of Gilund's
transition from the Chalcolithic to the Iron Age. Their findings
shed light on the extent and nature of early trade networks, the
rise of early complex societies, and the symbolic and ideological
beliefs of this region. This volume synthesizes new discoveries
with previous findings and considers Gilund in a broader regional
and global context, making it the most comprehensive presentation
of archaeological data for this region to date. Contributors: Marta
Ameri, Shweta Sinha Deshpande, Debasri Dasgupta Ghosh, Lorena
Giorgio, Praveena Gullapalli, Julie Hanlon, Peter Johansen, Matthew
Landt, Gregory L. Possehl, Teresa P. Raczek, Vasant Shinde.
University Museum Monograph, 138
The Indus Civilization of India and Pakistan was contemporary with,
and equally complex as the better-known cultures of Mesopotamia,
Egypt and China. The dean of North American Indus scholars, Gregory
Possehl, attempts here to marshal the state of knowledge about this
fascinating culture in a readable synthesis. He traces the rise and
fall of this civilization, examines the economic, architectural,
artistic, religious, and intellectual components of this culture,
describes its most famous sites, and shows the relationships
between the Indus Civilization and the other cultures of its time.
As a sourcebook for scholars, a textbook for archaeology students,
and an informative volume for the lay reader, The Indus
Civilization will be an exciting and informative read.
The Indus Civilization of India and Pakistan was contemporary with,
and equally complex as the better-known cultures of Mesopotamia,
Egypt and China. The dean of North American Indus scholars, Gregory
Possehl, attempts here to marshal the state of knowledge about this
fascinating culture in a readable synthesis. He traces the rise and
fall of this civilization, examines the economic, architectural,
artistic, religious, and intellectual components of this culture,
describes its most famous sites, and shows the relationships
between the Indus Civilization and the other cultures of its time.
As a sourcebook for scholars, a textbook for archaeology students,
and an informative volume for the lay reader, The Indus
Civilization will be an exciting and informative read.
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