The Indus civilization in South Asia (c. 320 – 1500BC) was one of the most important Old World Bronze Age cultures. Located at the cross-roads of Asia, in modern Pakistan and India, it encompassed ca. one million square kilometers, making it one the largest  and most ecologically, culturally, socially, and economically complex among contemporary civilisations.  In this study, Jennifer Bates offers new insights into the Indus civilisation through an archaeobotanical reconstruction of its environment. Exploring the relationship between people and plants, agricultural systems, and the foods that people consumed, she demonstrates how the choices made by the ancient inhabitants were intertwined with several aspects of society, as were their responses to social and climate changes. Bates' book synthesizes the available data on genetics, archaeobotany, and archaeology. It shows how the ancient Indus serves as a case study of a civilization navigating sustainability, resilience and collapse in the face of changing circumstances by adapting its agricultural practices.
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1. Introduction; 2. The Paleoenvironmental context; 3. Laying the groundwork; 4. Southwest Asian crops and their significance; 5. Big millets; 6. Small Millets; 7. Rice; 8. Tropical pulses and the identification of local domestication processes; 9. Microfossils and the multi-proxy approach; 10. Beyond 'staples'; 11. Crop processing and social organization; 12. Cropping strategies and seasonality; 13. Irrigation and intensification; 14. Indus indentities and food; 15. The 'Late Harappan Revolution'; 16. The burnt remains.
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This book offers new insights into the Indus civilisation through an archaeobotanical reconstruction of its environment.

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781009424448
Publisert
2025-01-02
Utgiver
Vendor
Cambridge University Press
Vekt
950 gr
Høyde
260 mm
Bredde
182 mm
Dybde
26 mm
Aldersnivå
UP, 05
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
398

Forfatter

Om bidragsyterne

Jennifer Bates is Assistant Professor of Archaeological Science at Seoul National University. She is a co-author of The Archaeobotany of Asvan and Principal Investigator of the Indica Project.