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Indus Figurines: the Role of Representation and the Construction of the Human Form at the Bronze Age City of Harappa

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Indus Figurines: the Role of Representation and the Construction of the Human Form at the Bronze Age City of Harappa INDUS FIGURINES: THE ROLE OF REPRESENTATION AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HUMAN FORM AT THE BRONZE AGE CITY OF HARAPPA A Thesis submitted to the faculty of A s San Francisco State University In partial fulfillment of 3 0 the requirements for A o R the Degree AFJTM • Master of Arts In Anthropology: Archaeology by Shane Kennedy Davis San Francisco, California Fall 2017 Copyright by Shane Kennedy Davis 2017 CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL I certify that I have read Indus Figurines: The Role of Representation and the Construction of the Human Form at the Bronze Age City of Harappa by Shane Kennedy Davis, and that in my opinion this work meets the criteria for approving a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree Master of Art in Anthropology: Archaeology at San Francisco State University. Douglass Bailey, Ph.D. Professor of Anthropology Associate Professor of Anthropology INDUS FIGURINES: THE ROLE OF REPRESENTATION AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HUMAN FORM AT THE BRONZE AGE CITY OF HARAPPA Shane Kennedy Davis San Francisco, California 2017 This work examines the collection of anthropomorphic figurines from the Bronze Age city of Harappa (3300-1300 cal. B.C.). In this thesis, I present Sharri Clark’s work on the Harappan figurines, as well as a critical analysis of her typology and her conclusions. I then provide a literature review of the cognitive approach to figurine interpretation to inform the collection from Harappa. I conclude that the Harappan figurines can be split into two valid categories, namely the Early and Mature Harappan types, that their context indicates a domestic use which cannot be connected to religious or ceremonial practice, and that the most effective way to interpret these figurines is through an examination of their three inherent conditions of miniaturism, three-dimensionality, and anthropomorphism. This thesis gives the reader ample knowledge on the archaeology of figurines, the archaeology of Harappa, and demonstrates how a cognitive approach can inform archaeology’s interpretation of the Harappan figurines. I certify that the Abstract is a correct representation of the content of this thesis. Date ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my committee chair, Professor Douglass Bailey. As a teacher, he has contributed more to my education at San Francisco State University than anyone else. Without his indispensable guidance and persistent help, this thesis would not have been possible. I would also like to thank my second committee member, Assistant Professor Cynthia Wilczak, for her valuable contributions to both this thesis and to my education in general. Additionally, I would like to thank everyone from my cohort, as each one was a source of inspiration and friendship at one time or another. In particular, I would like to thank Candice Ward for her advice and support through graduate school, as well as Laura Maldonado for her assistance editing this thesis. Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Ashlee Rose Davis, and my mother, Cherie Morrison Davis, for their unwavering love and support while I was finishing my degree. v TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables.................................................................................................................................ix List of Figures.................................................................................................................................x Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: The Archaeology of Figurines............................................................................... 3 Section 1.1: The Religious Approach............................................................................ 3 Section 1.2: The Symbolic Approach............................................................................ 6 Section 1.3: The Feminist Approach........................................................................... 10 The Feminist Approach to the Venus Figurines of the Paleolithic 17 Section 1.4: The Functional Approach........................................................................20 The Functional Approach Applied to Peloponnese Figurines...................24 Section 1.5: The Cognitive Approach.........................................................................26 Summary.........................................................................................................................29 Chapter 2: The Archaeology of the Indus Valley Civilization............................................ 31 Section 2.1: History of Excavation............................................................................. 31 Section 2.2: Chronology of Prehistoric South Asia..................................................37 The Early Food Production Era (7000-5000 cal. B.C.).............................37 The Regionalization Era (5000-2600 cal. B.C.).........................................42 The Regionalization Era at Harappa (3300-2600 cal. B.C.)..................... 44 The Integration Era (2600-1900 cal. B.C.)..................................................46 The Integration Era at Harappa (2600-1900 cal. B.C.)..............................50 The Localization Era (1900-1200 cal. B.C.)................................................54 vi The Localization Era at Harappa (1900-1300 cal. B.C.)............................54 Summary.......................................................................................................................... 57 Chapter 3: Data on the Harappan Figurines............................................................................ 59 Section 3.1: History of Research on the Harappan Figurines................................ 59 Section 3.2: Contextual Data........................................................................................ 62 Summary.......................................................................................................................... 67 Chapter 4: Harappan Figurines: Typology and Interpretation.............................................. 69 Section 4.1: Framework.................................................................................................69 Section 4.2: Harappan Figurine Typology.................................................................. 76 Type 1: Early Harappan Figurines.................................................................. 76 Subtype l.A: Period I Figurines..........................................................77 Subtype l.B: Period II Female Figurines.......................................... 78 Subtype l.C: Period II Anthropomorphic Other..............................79 Type 2: Mature Harappan Figurines...............................................................79 Subtype 2.A: Classic Female Figurines............................................ 80 Subtype 2.B: Classic Male Figurines.................................................82 Subtype 2.C: Classic Anthropomorphic Other................................ 83 Subtype 2.D: Figure-8 Female Figurines.......................................... 84 Section 4.3: Clark’s Conclusions..................................................................................86 Summary.......................................................................................................................... 94 Chapter 5: An Archaeological Interpretation of the Harappan Figurines............................95 Section 5.1: Critique of Clark’s Typology.................................................................. 95 Section 5.2: Interpretation of the Archaeological Context of the Harappan Figurines.................................................................................................................. 103 Summary....................................................................................................................... 107 Chapter 6: A Cognitive Approach to Figurine Interpretation.............................................109 Section 6.1: Miniaturism............................................................................................ 109 Section 6.2: Three-dimensionality............................................................................ 118 Section 6.3: Anthropomorphism............................................................................... 128 Section 6.4: Cognitive Effects of the Harappan Figurines....................................135 Summary.......................................................................................................................137 Conclusion................................................................................................... ............................. 139 Bibliography.............................................................................................................................141 viii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 2.1 Field descriptions of typifying soils from Harappa and surrounding areas...............36 2.2 The relative and absolute ages of geological formations..............................................37 2.3 South Asia chronology and corresponding periods at Harappa, Mehrgarh Mohenjo-Daro................................................................................................................. 38 3.1 Archaeological context of the Harappan figurines....................................................... 63 4.1 Framework for the formal analysis of the Harappan
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