Crops and Environment in the Lower Indus Plain During the Bronze Age : A Multi-proxy Approach to the Agricultural Strategies of the Indus Valley Civilization

The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) is the earliest known urban culture of South Asia (2600-1900 BCE). While archaeological research has been conducted in the region for over a century, systematic archaeobotanical analyses are still not widespread, and those carried out have concentrated on the geog...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Jiménez Arteaga, Carolina
Tipo de recurso: tesis doctoral
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:CBUC, CESCA
Repositorio:TDR. Tesis Doctorales en Red
OAI Identifier:oai:www.tdx.cat:10803/689265
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10803/689265
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Indus valley civilisation
Bronze age
South Asia
Archaeobotany
Agriculture
Foodways
94
Descripción
Sumario:The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) is the earliest known urban culture of South Asia (2600-1900 BCE). While archaeological research has been conducted in the region for over a century, systematic archaeobotanical analyses are still not widespread, and those carried out have concentrated on the geographical edges of the Civilisation, particularly Gujarat and the eastern Harappan region. The Indus floodplain is an area of special interest as it was the core of an unprecedented urban development. Studying the relationship between agricultural dynamics and urbanisation in the Indus Valley is key to understand not only the role of the environment in Indus societal transformation, but also the economic basis that allowed the rise of the Civilisation. The aim of this doctoral thesis is to carry out a multi-proxy archaeobotanical study of two sites in Sindh, Pakistan, to disentangle agricultural strategies and plant food preparation in the lower Indus Valley during the pre-urban and urban periods. The results obtained suggest a more diverse and flexible plant-based economy in the area than what was previously acknowledged.