Archaeological Process

1. Discuss how archaeologists reconstruct the past and what are the problems faced by them?

Archaeological Analysis:

1. Classification of artifacts: Material evidences, allows archaeologists to reconstruct the past. This material could be pottery, tools, ornaments or household objects. Recovered artifacts are classified by Archaeologists based on various grounds.

2. In terms of material: such as stone, clay, metal, bone, ivory etc.

3. in terms of function: archaeologists have to decide whether an artifact is a tool or an ornament, or both, or something meant for ritual use.

4. Strategies to identify the function of an Artifact: Understanding of the function of an artifact is often shaped by its resemblance with present-day things – beads, querns, stone blades and pots are obvious examples. move from the known to the unknown,

5. Archaeologists also try to identify the function of an artifact by investigating the context in which it was found, was it found in a house, in a drain, in a grave, in a kiln?

6. Archaeologists try indirect evidence. For instance, though there are traces of cotton at some Harappan sites, to find out about clothing we have to depend on indirect evidence including depictions in sculpture

7. Identification from Direct evidences: Remains of crops, saddle querns (Sil-Butta) or pit are studied to identify food. Archaeologists observe the different layers of site and try to find out different things which give picture of socio-economic conditions, religions and cultural life of the past people.

8. The problems of archaeological interpretation: The most challenging task is to reconstruct the religious practices.

9. Unusual or unfamiliar may have had a religious significance e.g –

10. Mother Goddess: These included terracotta figurines of women, heavily jewelled, some with elaborate head-dresses. These were regarded as mother goddesses.

11. The Priest King: Rare stone statuary of men in an almost standardized posture, seated with one hand on the knee – such as the “priest-king” – was also similarly classified.

12. The Great Bath: a vast structure of bricks and waterproofing surrounded by small rooms found in Mohen-jo-daro is considered to be a religious structure.

13. From known to unknown: Present day analogy:

14. The Proto-Shiva: Shiva or Shaman? : The earliest religious text, the Rigveda (compiled c.1500-1000 BCE) mentions a god named Rudra, which is a name used for Shiva in later Puranic traditions (in the first millennium CE) However, unlike Shiva, Rudra in the Rigveda is neither depicted as Pashupati (lord of animals in general and cattle in particular), nor as a yogi. In other words, this depiction does not match the description of Rudra in the Rigveda. Is this, then, possibly a shaman as some scholars have suggested?

15. Linga: A linga is a polished stone that is worshipped as a symbol of Shiva. Various small cones made of lapis lazuli, jasper, chalcedony, and other stones, most beautifully cut and finished, and less than two inches in height, are also thought to be lingas … on the other hand, it is just as possible that they were used in the board-games