Handbook of Harappan Civilization: Recent Insights and Discoveries

This handbook provides an in-depth finding on the Harappan Civilization (~Indus Civilization, Sarasvati-Sindhi, Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilization) that flourished from ~2600–1900 BCE in the Greater Indus Region. It presents the emerging perspectives of the Harappan Civilization and includes the results from the recent excavations in South Asian sites. The book begins with the evidence on settled human life, the factors that led to the domestication of plants and animals, and the cumulative effect on the triggering of urban processes. It highlights the evidence of the emergence of towns and villages, aided by the technology of copper and trade, in different parts of the Greater Indus Region, ultimately culminating in the Harappan Civilization. It illustrates the hallmark features of the Harappan Civilization and recent findings. It updates the latest knowledge on topics like the script and the people, the ultimate transformation into a rural culture again, mainly due to climatic changes. It presents the scientific techniques and methodologies employed in investigating the past, particularly the Harappan Civilization. It enables the students to pursue similar lines of research in the ever-growing field of applying sciences in archaeology. The richly illustrated book with maps and photographs assists researchers and scholars in understanding the archaeological facts and information related to the Harappan Civilization.

Chapter 1 Introduction.- Chapter 2 Settled Human Life in South Asia.- Chapter 3 The Emergence of Regional Cultures.- Chapter 4 Harappan Civilization.- Chapter 5 The Demise of the Harappan Civilization Regional cultures of late Harappan culture.- Chapter 6 Did the Harappans exist in isolation?.- Chapter 7 Who were the authors of the Harappan Civilization.- Chapter 8 Lessons from the Past.

V. N. Prabhakar obtained his Ph.D. in Archaeology from Kurukshetra University, Haryana (India) and is an associate professor (Archaeology) at the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. He held the director (Archaeology) post in the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) before joining IIT Gandhinagar. His research interests are Protohistorical Archaeology, Harappan Civilization, and the Application of Sciences in Archaeology. He has conducted extensive research on the Harappans' bead manufacturing techniques from the Dholavira site. His doctoral thesis was on Burial practices of the Harappans: Sanauli Excavations A Case Study, wherein a multifaceted analysis including stable isotope studies was conducted. He has undertaken independent excavations at the Harappan site of Rupnagar (Punjab) and Karanpura (Rajasthan) in India and actively participated in the excavations at Dholavira (Gujarat), Lalkot (Delhi), Sanauli, Madarpur, Fatehpur Sikri (all in Uttar Pradesh), Ellora (Maharashtra).