- Department of Archaeology
University of Cambridge
Downing Street
Cambridge CB2 3DZ, UK
Cameron Petrie
University of Cambridge, Archaeology, Faculty Member
- Archaeology, South Asian Archaeology, Iranian Archaeology, Neolithic & Chalcolithic Archaeology, Colonialism, Imperialism, and 13 moreEmpire, Environmental Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Iran, India, Pakistan, Archaeology of Central Asia, Development of complex societies, Melinda Zeder, Achaemenid History, Achaemenid archaeology, Iron Age, and Joseph Tainteredit
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The 4.2-kiloyear event has been described as a global megadrought that transformed multiple Bronze Age complex societies, including the Indus Civilization, located in a sensitive transition zone with a bimodal (summer and winter) rainfall... more
The 4.2-kiloyear event has been described as a global megadrought that transformed multiple Bronze Age complex societies, including the Indus Civilization, located in a sensitive transition zone with a bimodal (summer and winter) rainfall regime. Here we reconstruct changes in summer and winter rainfall from trace elements and oxygen, carbon, and calcium isotopes of a speleothem from Dharamjali Cave in the Himalaya spanning 4.2-3.1 thousand years ago. We find a 230-year period of increased summer and winter drought frequency between 4.2 and 3.97 thousand years ago, with multi-decadal aridity events centered on 4.19, 4.11, and 4.02 thousand years ago. The sub-annually resolved record puts seasonal variability on a human decision-making timescale, and shows that repeated intensely dry periods spanned multiple generations. The record highlights the deficits in winter and summer rainfall during the urban phase of the Indus Civilization, which prompted adaptation through flexible, selfreliant, and drought-resistant agricultural strategies.
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Presentation for 'International Open Workshop: Socio-Environmental Dynamics over the Last 15,000 Years: The Creation of Landscapes VI', session #11 'Social resilience to climate changes with perspectives on the past 5000... more
Presentation for 'International Open Workshop: Socio-Environmental Dynamics over the Last 15,000 Years: The Creation of Landscapes VI', session #11 'Social resilience to climate changes with perspectives on the past 5000 years' at Kiel University, Germany (11-16 March 2019). Slides: https://andros-spica.github.io/IOW-Angourakis-et-al-2019/
Research Interests: Civilization and Indus
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The Quaternary sediments and landscapes of the plains of northwestern Haryana and ancient settlement mounds distributed across them have great potential to reveal the history of the evolution and disappearance of palaeorivers, their... more
The Quaternary sediments and landscapes of the plains of northwestern Haryana and ancient settlement mounds distributed across them have great potential to reveal the history of the evolution and disappearance of palaeorivers, their relationship to the Indus Civilization and early historic periods in NW India. There are numerous palaeochannels in Haryana, and their distribution and burial in the subsurface creates difficulties for accessing the archives and proxies necessary for developing insight into the timing of river flow and shift, and its relationship to settled populations. This paper investigates the deep and shallow subsurface sedimentary lithology of an area around Sirsa that is close to the course of the modern Ghagghar River. The paper presents additional age constraints provided by dates from the site of Rakhigarhi and examines a sedimentary substrate of a new archaeological mound situated on the palaeochannel identified at a mound near Dhir village. New AMS radiocarbo...
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Zircon data of Sample A
Harappans, Excavations in proximity of Kunal and Bhirrana
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This article examine the settlement pattern on the margin of Thar Desert. The role of Palaeo-Channels to flourished the Harappan settlement in such a desert climate. How these Palaeo-Channel played a significant role to flourished... more
This article examine the settlement pattern on the margin of Thar Desert. The role of Palaeo-Channels to flourished the Harappan settlement in such a desert climate. How these Palaeo-Channel played a significant role to flourished Harappan settlements.
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This paper presents a review of the application of phytolith analysis to the archaeology of the Indus Civilisation (c. 4000-1300 BCE) of South Asia. Phytoliths are microscopic silica casts of plant cells formed during the life of the... more
This paper presents a review of the application of phytolith analysis to the archaeology of the Indus Civilisation (c. 4000-1300 BCE) of South Asia. Phytoliths are microscopic silica casts of plant cells formed during the life of the plant through the uptake of monosilicic acid from groundwater. The phytolith studies that have thus far been carried out on Indus settlement sites are reviewed, and the range of issues to which phytolith analysis has been applied to Indus archaeology are also outlined here. This paper argues that phytolith analysis holds great potential for gaining alternative views on age-old archaeological questions relating to the Indus Civilisation. It concludes that although understudied at the moment, there is much to be gained by employing phytolith analysis systematically during archaeological studies in this region and time period.
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Archaeological survey data plays a fundamental role in studies of long-term socio-cultural change, particularly those that examine the emergence of social complexity and urbanism. Re-evaluating survey datasets reveals lacunae in survey... more
Archaeological survey data plays a fundamental role in studies of long-term socio-cultural change, particularly those that examine the emergence of social complexity and urbanism. Re-evaluating survey datasets reveals lacunae in survey coverage, encourages the reconsideration of existing interpretations, and makes it possible to integrate the results of multiple projects into large scale analyses that address a broad range of research questions. This paper re-evaluates settlement site location reports that relate to the major phases of the Indus civilisation, whose Mature Harappan period (c. 2600-1900 B.C.) is characterised by numerous village settlements and a small number of larger urban centres. By the end of the Mature Harappan period, people appear to have left these cities, and a de-nucleated pattern of settlement is evident in the subsequent Late Harappan period. Survey data from the plains of northwest India are key to understanding this process of de-urbanisation, as it has...
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This research was carried out as part of the TwoRains project which is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no 648609).
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The upper Indus River basin is characterized by biseasonal heavy precipitation falling on the foothills of major mountain ranges (Hindu Kush, Karakorm, Himalayas). Numerical studies have confirmed the importance of topography for the... more
The upper Indus River basin is characterized by biseasonal heavy precipitation falling on the foothills of major mountain ranges (Hindu Kush, Karakorm, Himalayas). Numerical studies have confirmed the importance of topography for the triggering of precipitation and investigated the processes responsible for specific events, but a systematic and cross-seasonal analysis has yet to be conducted. Using ERA5 reanalysis data and statistical methods, we show that more than 80% of the precipitation variability is explained by southerly moisture transport at 850 and 700 hPa, along the Himalayan foothills. We conclude that most of the precipitation is generated by the forced uplift of a cross-barrier flow. This process explains both wet seasons, despite different synoptic conditions, but is more important in winter. The precipitation signal is decomposed into the contribution of each altitude and each variable (wind and moisture), which exhibit different seasonality. The winter wet season is ...
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Research Interests: History, Ancient History, Geography, Demography, Archaeology, and 15 moreEnvironmental History, Computational Modelling, Crop Modeling, Agricultural Economics, Agriculture, Cultural Evolution, Agricultural History, Databases, Ancient Egyptian History, Ancient economy, Ancient Egypt, Agricultural Productivity, Cliodynamics, Carrying Capacity, and Ancient Economy
Abdolrasool Vatandoust, Hermann Parzinger & Barbara Helwing (ed.). Early mining and metallurgy on the western Central Iranian Plateau: the first five years of work (Archäologie in Iran und Turan 9). viii+728 pages, 734 colour illustrations, 86 tables. 2011. Mainz: Philipp von Zabern for Eurasien-...more
Research Interests: Archaeology and Antiquity
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By using the data from a primary survey of 1100 farm households from Indian Punjab, the present study examined the impact of COVID-19 pandemic-induced disruptions on food security and farm incomes. The paddy-wheat-based production system... more
By using the data from a primary survey of 1100 farm households from Indian Punjab, the present study examined the impact of COVID-19 pandemic-induced disruptions on food security and farm incomes. The paddy-wheat-based production system showed resilience to the challenges of the COVID-19 situation. Farmers adapted effectively to the changed equilibrium and there was no decline in food production, land lease activity or cropping patterns. The disruptions in agricultural machinery services and input supplies led to a rise in the rent of machinery and input prices. Agricultural wages also jumped due to scarcity of agricultural labour. The study highlights no imminent threat to food supplies from Punjab and hence to national food security. It showed that farmers may need some financial support to counter the effect of rising costs of farming. There is a need to enhance the resilience of various input and output markets in agriculture in the future.
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Research Interests: Archaeology and Pottery
Jonathan Mark Kenoyer has a long history of work with the ceramic vessels of the Indus Civilization and co-authored the most comprehensive assessments of the pottery from Mohenjo-daro yet attempted (Dales and Kenoyer 1986). For... more
Jonathan Mark Kenoyer has a long history of work with the ceramic vessels of the Indus Civilization and co-authored the most comprehensive assessments of the pottery from Mohenjo-daro yet attempted (Dales and Kenoyer 1986). For archaeologists, pottery is one of the most significant sources of data, not only for the durability and abundance of ceramic artefacts in the archaeological record, but also for the vast range of information on ancient societies that can be inferred from its study. Amongst various approaches to ceramic analysis, two main methods have dominated the field: the morphological approach, where pottery assemblages are grouped according to macroscopic attributes; and scientific analysis, where ceramics are understood in terms of composition and technologies. Even though the latter approach has been tentatively used in the study of ceramic industries in South Asia since the 1930s, it has become significant only in the past three decades. This contribution reviews the use and development of geochemical and petrographic methods for the study of South Asian ceramic traditions, with special emphasis on assemblages produced and used during the Urban and Post-Urban phases of the Indus Civilization (2500-1600 BC).
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Sizable populations in developing countries in Asia and Africa live in dryland ecosystems, and agriculture in these areas faces major challenges including water scarcity, land degradation, poor infrastructure and insufficient access to... more
Sizable populations in developing countries in Asia and Africa live in dryland ecosystems, and agriculture in these areas faces major challenges including water scarcity, land degradation, poor infrastructure and insufficient access to markets. Natural resource management (NRM) interventions offer an important path to sustainable agricultural practices through increasing resource use efficiency, but true efficacy will only be achievable if these initiatives can be scaled up. This paper explores the impact of farm-scale NRM interventions undertaken in the state of Karnataka, India, between 2005 and 2020. NRM technologies such as soil health management, resource use efficiency and improved crop cultivars were demonstrated in more than 50 000 farmers’ fields. Participatory demonstrations and capacity building initiatives were effectively used to co-create innovations for rapid and wide dissemination, and NRM practices involving the soil-nutrient-crop-water continuum were the subject of...
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Research Interests: Cartography, Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Geophysics, Southeast Asian Studies, and 11 moreMachine Learning, Landscape Archaeology, Survey (Archaeological Method & Theory), Historical maps, Remote sensing and GIS applications in Landscape Research, Remote sensing and GIS, Archaeological Prospection, Image segmentation, GIS and Landscape Archaeology, Deep Learning, and Machine Learning in Archaeology
South Asia has a deep history of agriculture that includes a range of past farming systems in different climatic zones. Many of these farming systems were resilient to changes in climate and sustainable over long periods of time. India’s... more
South Asia has a deep history of agriculture that includes a range of past farming systems in different climatic zones. Many of these farming systems were resilient to changes in climate and sustainable over long periods of time. India’s present agricultural systems are facing serious challenges, as they have become increasingly reliant on the unsustainable extraction of groundwater for irrigation. This paper outlines an interdisciplinary framework for drawing on patterns from the past to guide interventions in the present. It compares past and present strategies for water management and use in semi-arid and temperate Punjab with equatorial Telangana. Structural differences in water use in these two regions suggest that a range of interventions should be adopted to expand the overall availability of surface water for agricultural systems in India, in combination with empowering local communities to create their own water management rules. Active interventions focus on the efficient ...
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Significance This paper illustrates the potential of machine learning-based classification of multisensor, multitemporal satellite data for the remote detection and mapping of archaeological mounded settlements in arid environments. Our... more
Significance This paper illustrates the potential of machine learning-based classification of multisensor, multitemporal satellite data for the remote detection and mapping of archaeological mounded settlements in arid environments. Our research integrates multitemporal synthetic-aperture radar and multispectral bands to produce a highly accurate probability field of mound signatures. The results largely expand the known concentration of Indus settlements in the Cholistan Desert in Pakistan ( ca . 3300 to 1500 BC), with the detection of hundreds of new sites deeper in the desert than previously suspected including several large-sized (>30 ha) urban centers. These distribution patterns have major implications regarding the influence of climate change and desertification in the collapse of the largest of the Old-World Bronze Age civilizations.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Remote Sensing, Machine Learning, and 14 moreLandscape Archaeology, South Asian Studies, Classification (Machine Learning), Remote sensing and GIS applications in Landscape Research, Cloud Computing, Multidisciplinary, Indus Valley Civilization, Archaeological survey, Synthetic Aperture Radar, Archaeological surveying and mapping, Computational Archaeology, Harappan Civilization, Google Earth Engine, and Archaeological site detection
The house mouse (Mus musculus) represents the extreme of globalization of invasive mammals. However, the timing and basis of its origin and early phases of dispersal remain poorly documented. To track its synanthropisation and subsequent... more
The house mouse (Mus musculus) represents the extreme of globalization of invasive mammals. However, the timing and basis of its origin and early phases of dispersal remain poorly documented. To track its synanthropisation and subsequent invasive spread during the develoment of complex human societies, we analyzed 829 Mus specimens from 43 archaeological contexts in Southwestern Asia and Southeastern Europe, between 40,000 and 3,000 cal. BP, combining geometric morphometrics numerical taxonomy, ancient mitochondrial DNA and direct radiocarbon dating. We found that large late hunter-gatherer sedentary settlements in the Levant, c. 14,500 cal. BP, promoted the commensal behaviour of the house mouse, which probably led the commensal pathway to cat domestication. House mouse invasive spread was then fostered through the emergence of agriculture throughout the Near East 12,000 years ago. Stowaway transport of house mice to Cyprus can be inferred as early as 10,800 years ago. However, the...
Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Geometric Morphometrics, Biology, and 15 moreEcology, Mitochondria, Cyprus, Biological invasions, Biogeography, Ancient Near East, Medicine, Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene, Humans, Mice, Mouse, Mouse genetics, Animals, Introduced species, and Human Animal Studies
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Incomplete datasets curtail the ability of archaeologists to investigate ancient landscapes, and there are archaeological sites whose locations remain unknown in many parts of the world. To address this problem, we need additional sources... more
Incomplete datasets curtail the ability of archaeologists to investigate ancient landscapes, and there are archaeological sites whose locations remain unknown in many parts of the world. To address this problem, we need additional sources of site location data. While remote sensing data can often be used to address this challenge, it is enhanced when integrated with the spatial data found in old and sometimes forgotten sources. The Survey of India 1” to 1-mile maps from the early twentieth century are one such dataset. These maps documented the location of many cultural heritage sites throughout South Asia, including the locations of numerous mound features. An initial study georeferenced a sample of these maps covering northwest India and extracted the location of many potential archaeological sites—historical map mound features. Although numerous historical map mound features were recorded, it was unknown whether these locations corresponded to extant archaeological sites. This ar...
Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Computer Science, Remote Sensing, Cultural Heritage, and 15 moreLandscape Archaeology, South Asia, Urbanism, Archaeological GIS, South Asian Archaeology, Survey Research, Historical maps, Remote sensing and GIS applications in Landscape Research, Indus Valley Civilization, GIS and Landscape Archaeology, Archaeological survey, Urbanisation, Harappan Archaeology, Harappan Civilization, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
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This paper explores the historical inundation of the city of Dera Ghazi Kkan (Punjab, Pakistan) in 1909. The rich documentation about this episode available—including historic news reports, books and maps—is used to reconstruct the... more
This paper explores the historical inundation of the city of Dera Ghazi Kkan (Punjab, Pakistan) in 1909. The rich documentation about this episode available—including historic news reports, books and maps—is used to reconstruct the historical dynamics between an urban settlement and the river morphodynamics in the Indus alluvial plain. Map and document-based historical regressive analysis is complemented with the examination of images obtained through different Remote Sensing techniques, including the use of new algorithms specifically developed for the study of topography and seasonal water availability which make possible to assess long-term changes in the Indus River basin. This case of study provides an opportunity to examine: (1) how historical hydrological dynamics are reflected in RS produced images; (2) the implications of river morphodynamics in the interpretation of settlement patterning; and (3) the documented socio-political responses to such geomorphological change. The...
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A range of data sources are now used to support the process of archaeological prospection, including remote sensed imagery, spy satellite photographs and aerial photographs. This paper advocates the value and importance of a hitherto... more
A range of data sources are now used to support the process of archaeological prospection, including remote sensed imagery, spy satellite photographs and aerial photographs. This paper advocates the value and importance of a hitherto under-utilised historical mapping resource—the Survey of India 1” to 1-mile map series, which was based on surveys started in the mid–late nineteenth century, and published progressively from the early twentieth century AD. These maps present a systematic documentation of the topography of the British dominions in the South Asian Subcontinent. Incidentally, they also documented the locations, the height and area of thousands of elevated mounds that were visible in the landscape at the time that the surveys were carried out, but have typically since been either damaged or destroyed by the expansion of irrigation agriculture and urbanism. Subsequent reanalysis has revealed that many of these mounds were actually the remains of ancient settlements. The dig...
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Research Interests: Physical Geography, Archaeology, Geology, Paleontology, Climate Change, and 15 morePalaeoenvironment, OSL dating, Quaternary, Drylands, Aeolian, Physical sciences, Dose rate, Asian monsoon, Fluvial, Science Technology, Elsevier, Abrupt Changes, Summer Monsoon, Southwest Monsoon, and Indus civilisation
Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Archaeobotany, Environmental Archaeology, Climate Change Adaptation, and 15 morePaleobotany, Paleoethnobotany, Medicine, Palaeobotany, Indus Civilization, Indus Valley Civilization, Bronze Age, Harappan Archaeology, Barley, Intercropping, Millet, Adaptative environmental management, Harappan Civilization, Multiple Cropping, and Cropping
Several major cereal groups have been identified as staples used by the pre-urban, urban and post-urban phase populations of the Indus Civilisation (3200–1500 BCE): wheat, barley, a range of small hulled millets and also rice, though... more
Several major cereal groups have been identified as staples used by the pre-urban, urban and post-urban phase populations of the Indus Civilisation (3200–1500 BCE): wheat, barley, a range of small hulled millets and also rice, though their proportional exploitation is variable across space and over time. Traditional quantification methods examine the frequency, intensity and proportionality of the use of these crops and help ascertain the ‘relative importance’ of these cereals for Indus populations. However, this notion of ‘importance’ is abstracted from the daily lives of the people using these crops and may be biased by the differential production (as well as archaeological survival) of individual cereals. This paper outlines an alternative approach to quantifying Indus cereals by investigating proportions of calories. Cereals are predominantly composed of carbohydrates and therefore provided much of the daily caloric intake among many late Holocene farming populations. The four m...
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Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Law, Anthropology, Climate Change, and 9 morePalaeoenvironment, Environmental Archaeology, Climate Change Adaptation, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Bronze Age Archaeology, Climate Change Impacts, Indus Valley Civilization, Archaeological Anthropology, and Current anthropology
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Trou de Chaleux and Goyet are caves situated less than 30km apart in Belgium that contain stratified Magdalenian artefacts and butchered faunal remains. Published radiocarbon dates suggest that both sites were contemporaneously occupied... more
Trou de Chaleux and Goyet are caves situated less than 30km apart in Belgium that contain stratified Magdalenian artefacts and butchered faunal remains. Published radiocarbon dates suggest that both sites were contemporaneously occupied during to the Late-glacial interstadial. It has previously been suggested that the Trou de Chaleux Late-glacial faunal remains might be slightly older than those at Goyet Cave,
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Archaeological interpretations often depend on inferential reasoning, and ethnoarchaeological research can be used as a valuable tool to build stronger discussions related to material culture patterning, especially concerning prehistoric... more
Archaeological interpretations often depend on inferential reasoning, and ethnoarchaeological
research can be used as a valuable tool to build stronger discussions related to material culture
patterning, especially concerning prehistoric social and technological theories.
Ethnoarchaeological research can be applied to several aspects of ceramic production, such as the
investigation of manufacturing techniques and technology, producers and craft specialisation, the
role of producers within societies, castes or sub-castes, the nature of producer identity and
religious affiliation, and the structure of regional and village-based ceramic production. This paper
presents an ethnoarchaeological study of the Kumhars potter caste in modern Haryana and Uttar
Pradesh, which was carried out as part of my PhD research into Indus Civilisation ceramic
traditions.
After providing a brief overview of the methods adopted and the five families of Kumhars potters
interviewed for this project, this paper will focus on the preliminary results of the ethnographic
study, touching upon (1) tools and resilience of manufacturing techniques; (2) regional network of
crafters; (3) vernacular knowledge of landscape and clay sources; and (4) the relevance of such
observations on archaeological interpretations.
research can be used as a valuable tool to build stronger discussions related to material culture
patterning, especially concerning prehistoric social and technological theories.
Ethnoarchaeological research can be applied to several aspects of ceramic production, such as the
investigation of manufacturing techniques and technology, producers and craft specialisation, the
role of producers within societies, castes or sub-castes, the nature of producer identity and
religious affiliation, and the structure of regional and village-based ceramic production. This paper
presents an ethnoarchaeological study of the Kumhars potter caste in modern Haryana and Uttar
Pradesh, which was carried out as part of my PhD research into Indus Civilisation ceramic
traditions.
After providing a brief overview of the methods adopted and the five families of Kumhars potters
interviewed for this project, this paper will focus on the preliminary results of the ethnographic
study, touching upon (1) tools and resilience of manufacturing techniques; (2) regional network of
crafters; (3) vernacular knowledge of landscape and clay sources; and (4) the relevance of such
observations on archaeological interpretations.
Research Interests:
This paper explores the historical inundation of the city of Dera Ghazi Kkan (Punjab, Pakistan) in 1909. The rich documentation about this episode available-including historic news reports, books and maps-is used to reconstruct the... more
This paper explores the historical inundation of the city of Dera Ghazi Kkan (Punjab, Pakistan) in 1909. The rich documentation about this episode available-including historic news reports, books and maps-is used to reconstruct the historical dynamics between an urban settlement and the river morphodynamics in the Indus alluvial plain. Map and document-based historical regressive analysis is complemented with the examination of images obtained through different Remote Sensing techniques, including the use of new algorithms specifically developed for the study of topography and seasonal water availability which make possible to assess long-term changes in the Indus River basin. This case of study provides an opportunity to examine: (1) how historical hydrological dynamics are reflected in RS produced images; (2) the implications of river morphodynamics in the interpretation of settlement patterning; and (3) the documented socio-political responses to such geomorphological change. The results of this analysis are used to consider the long-term dynamics that have influenced the archaeo/cultural landscapes of the Indus River basin. This assessment provides critical insights for: (1) understanding aspects of the formation, preservation of representation of the archaeological record; (2) identifying traces of morphodynamics and their possible impact over the cultural heritage; and (3) offering insights into the role that recent historical documents can have in the interpretation of RS materials. This paper should be read in conjunction with the paper by Cameron Petrie et al. in the same issue of Geosciences, which explores the Survey of India 1" to 1-mile map series and outlines methods for using these historical maps for research on historical landscapes and settlement distribution.
A range of data sources are now used to support the process of archaeological prospection, including remote sensed imagery, spy satellite photographs and aerial photographs. This paper advocates the value and importance of a hitherto... more
A range of data sources are now used to support the process of archaeological prospection, including remote sensed imagery, spy satellite photographs and aerial photographs. This paper advocates the value and importance of a hitherto under-utilised historical mapping resource-the Survey of India 1" to 1-mile map series, which was based on surveys started in the mid-late nineteenth century, and published progressively from the early twentieth century AD. These maps present a systematic documentation of the topography of the British dominions in the South Asian Subcontinent. Incidentally, they also documented the locations, the height and area of thousands of elevated mounds that were visible in the landscape at the time that the surveys were carried out, but have typically since been either damaged or destroyed by the expansion of irrigation agriculture and urbanism. Subsequent reanalysis has revealed that many of these mounds were actually the remains of ancient settlements. The digitisation and analysis of these historic maps thus creates a unique opportunity for gaining insight into the landscape archaeology of South Asia. This paper reviews the context within which these historical maps were created, presents a method for georeferencing them, and reviews the symbology that was used to represent elevated mound features that have the potential to be archaeological sites. This paper should be read in conjunction with the paper by Arnau Garcia et al. in the same issue of Geosciences, which implements a research programme combining historical maps and a range of remote sensing approaches to reconstruct historical landscape dynamics in the Indus River Basin.