Mobility and Variation in Chalcolithic North Gujarat, India (Ca 3600 – 1800 Bc)
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University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations Summer 2011 Mobility and Variation in Chalcolithic North Gujarat, India (Ca 3600 – 1800 Bc) Suzanne Harris University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Harris, Suzanne, "Mobility and Variation in Chalcolithic North Gujarat, India (Ca 3600 – 1800 Bc)" (2011). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 359. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/359 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/359 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Mobility and Variation in Chalcolithic North Gujarat, India (Ca 3600 – 1800 Bc) Abstract Nine relatively obscure sites in the northern plain of Gujarat, India: Loteshwar, Santhli, Datrana, Nagwada, Langhnaj, Zekhada, Ratanpura and Kanewal; demonstrate a broad range of material culture traditions present in this region throughout the fourth through second millennia BC. This diversity results from the numerous economic strategies employed by the inhabitants of this region, the most important of which is mobility. Most of the sites reviewed in this work are the remains of temporary occupations, which are usually ascribed to pastoral nomads. Although pastoralism was an important subsistence strategy, a closer examination of the material culture and features at these sites shows there was a spectrum of approaches to mobility, which were related to different economic strategies. This work will show that despite many similarities, these sites do not represent a homogenous set of pastoralist camps. Instead, they document manifold activities, reflected through the uses of material culture and space. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Anthropology First Advisor Gregory L. Possehl Second Advisor Holly Pittman Third Advisor Lauren Ristvet Keywords Archaeology, Gujarat, Antiquities, Prehistory, India, Indus Civilization Subject Categories Archaeological Anthropology This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/359 MOBILITY AND VARIATION IN CHALCOLITHIC NORTH GUJARAT, INDIA (ca 3600 – 1800 BC) COPYRIGHT 2011 Suzanne H. Harris iii For My Father iv Acknowledgements All long journeys require guidance, companionship and support. Mine could not have been completed without the generous help of many fellow travelers. First, this work would not exist if I had not been accepted as a doctorate student at the Department of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, where Dr. Gregory Possehl was my advisor. It has been a genuine honor to study under the tutelage of one of the most prolific scholars in South Asian archaeology. I would also like to thank the other members of my committee, Dr. Lauren Ristvet and Dr. Holly Pittman, who generously contributed their attention and considerable expertise towards helping me create this finished work. Other professors who have encouraged my intellectual development over the years are Drs. Harold Dibble and Gautam Ghosh. Most of the research I conducted is based on the large volume of work produced by the faculty of the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in Vadodara, Gujarat. I was first introduced to this department by Dr. Vasant Shinde, of Deccan College Post-Graduate Research Institute, with whom I had worked at Gilund for two seasons and owe him a debt of gratitude for taking me on my first tour through Gujarat. I am privileged to have had a long working relationship with this institution and its passionate and dedicated faculty: Drs. P. Ajithprasad, Kuldeep K. Bhan, Prathap Chandran, K. Krishnan, Ambika Patel, Shushmita Sen and V. H. Sonawane. In addition to these outstanding researchers, I have had the pleasure of creating enduring friendships with many of the extremely talented students the department attracts: Bratati Dasgupta, Sujata Devi, Charusmita Gadekar, Smitha Kumar, Bhanu Sharma, and Sikder Zulkernine. I v particularly value the time I have spent with Kajal Shah (a most excellent road trip companion) and Rajesh S. V. (who is not only one of the most generous people I have ever met, but he also proves it is possible to share a brain with someone born on the other side of the world). Archaeology is a notoriously expensive pursuit and my work would not have been possible without the support of my department and the American Institute of Indian Studies. In the fall of 2002 I received a travel grant from my department to visit the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and Deccan College to determine the feasibility of a dissertation project in Gujarat. In 2005, the AIIS awarded me with a Junior Fellowship, which allowed me to collect the bulk of my data. Extended residency in another country is a daunting experience, even for a seasoned archaeologist, and I will always appreciate Purnima Mehta’s calm, welcoming presence. Upon my return in 2006, the University of Pennsylvania granted me a Zwicker Fellowship to support the writing phase. In October 2009, I received additional travel money from my department for a supplementary and ultimately beneficial research period back in Vadodara. I was able to visit the re-excavation of Loteshwar as a guest of Drs. P. Ajithprasad and Marco Madella, whom I thank for being such gracious hosts. During the winding (and occasionally obfuscated) path of my academic career, I have made many treasured colleagues and friends, without whom I would not be who I am today. The budding of my interest in archaeology began as an undergraduate at Ohio State University, where Drs. John and Susan Huntington encouraged my curiosity about the most ancient periods of South Asia, to the point vi where I decided that I wanted to dedicate the next several years of my life to its study. An internship at Archaeological Services Consultants in Columbus, Ohio honed my technical skills. Everyone there was extremely kind about letting a new student learn the trade and particular appreciation goes to Linda Whitman, Al Tonetti and Annette Ericksen. At Penn, the friendship of my peers has created a warm, empathetic atmosphere in the often isolating environment of graduate school. The other students of my advisor have been particularly good company and they are still the first people I still approach for advice: Shinu Abraham, Praveena Gullapalli, Christopher Thornton, Teresa Raczek and Uzma Rizvi. Many others have been confidants and collaborators: Kristen Gardella, Kyung-Nan Koh, Adam Leeds, Catherine van de Ruit, Puskhar Sohoni and Aram Yardumian. I like to believe I have spent my time in Philadelphia wisely by making friends outside my department, whom I value immeasurably: Donna Andrews, Rebecca Flynn-Meketon and Betsy Winter Hall have all provided good times and good advice. Michael Alexandre is my technology guru. I am overjoyed to have Dr. Ilene Grossman-Bailey as both a close friend and a role model. Archaeologists who specialize in South Asia are an exceptionally genial lot and I honestly look forward to conferences to socialize rather than to keep up with current research. Among the evolving cast of characters I have had the pleasure of keeping extended company with are: Brad Chase, August Costa, Savitha Gokulraman, Julie Hanlon, Gwen Kelly and Megan Merry McCormick. Special thanks go to Namita Sugandhi, an emerging organizational leader and still the vii funniest person in the room. This dissertation would not be nearly as lucid had Robert Brown not assisted with editing. Senior scholars have also given me invaluable input regarding my dissertation, including Drs. Richard Meadow, Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, Ajita Patel and Maurizio Tosi. Special thanks go to Dr. Rita Wright, whose single comment on the populations of North Gujarat became a mantra during the writing of this work: “The Indus Civilization is not the engine driving these people.” viii ABSTRACT MOBILITY AND VARIATION IN CHALCOLITHIC NORTH GUJARAT, INDIA (ca 3600 – 1800 BC) Suzanne H. Harris Gregory L. Possehl Nine relatively obscure sites in the northern plain of Gujarat, India: Loteshwar, Santhli, Datrana, Nagwada, Langhnaj, Zekhada, Ratanpura and Kanewal; demonstrate a broad range of material culture traditions present in this region throughout the fourth through second millennia BC. This diversity results from the numerous economic strategies employed by the inhabitants of this region, the most important of which is mobility. Most of the sites reviewed in this work are the remains of temporary occupations, which are usually ascribed to pastoral nomads. Although pastoralism was an important subsistence strategy, a closer examination of the material culture and features at these sites shows there was a spectrum of approaches to mobility, which were related to different economic strategies. This work will show that despite many similarities, these sites do not represent a homogenous set of pastoralist camps. Instead, they document manifold activities, reflected through the uses of material culture and space. ix MOBILITY AND VARIATION IN CHALCOLITHIC NORTH GUJARAT Table of Contents Acknowledgements iv Abstract viii List of Tables xii List of Figures xiii Chapter One: Introduction 1 Research Objectives 6 Defining Variation Among Occupations 10 Indices of economic variation in the archaeological record 13 Defining Mobility 14 Mobility and