Harappa (Pakistan) Archaeological Project

This project is in the final stages of publication.

Supported by grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

and the University of Alberta

The archaeological site of Harappa is situated in the Ravi River flood plain of Punjab Province, Pakistan. The type site of the Harappan (or Indus Valley) Civilization, Harappa began as a small village in roughly 3300 BC and grew to a large city covering more than 150 hectares during the Harappa (Mature) Phase of the Indus Civilization (2600 - 1900 BC).

The University of California-Berkeley Project began work at the site in 1986, under the direction of the late George F. Dales. After the death of Dr. Dales in 1992, the project was transformed into the Harappa Archaeological Research Project. Current Project Co-Directors are Richard H. Meadow (Harvard University) and Jonathan Mark Kenoyer (University of Wisconsin-Madison). Dr. Kenoyer is also the Field Director. Rita P. Wright (New York University) is Assistant Project Director. Excavations at Harappa are conducted in collaboration with the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Pakistan.The Harappa Archaeological Research Project's work is featured at http://www.harappa.com/

Excavations and analyses of skeletal remains from a cemetery at Harappa were conducted from 1987-1989 by a four person team of physical anthropologists: Kenneth A. R. Kennedy (Cornell University), John R Lukacs (University of Oregon) , Brian Hemphill (then of University of Oregon), and Nancy C. Lovell (then of Cornell University and the University of California-Berkeley). Although the team's work has appears in several publications and presentations, publication of the comprehensive monograph on the skeletal remains awaits completion of the stratigraphic reconstruction by Project archaeologists.

 

 

 

 

Publications

Nancy C. Lovell.1998. The Biocultural Context of Anemia in the Ancient Indus Valley. Journal of Human Ecology (India) 9(3):205-219.

Nancy C. Lovell. 1997. Anaemia in the Ancient Indus Valley. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 7:115-123.

Nancy C. Lovell. 1994. Spinal Arthritis and Physical Stress at Bronze Age Harappa. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 93:149-164.

K. A. R. Kennedy, Nancy C. Lovell, J. R. Lukacs, and B. E. Hemphill. 1993. Scaphocephaly in a Prehistoric Skeleton from Harappa, Pakistan. Anthropologischer Anzeiger 51(1):1-29.

Presentations

Lifestyle and Pathology at Harappa. Paper presented at the Association of South Asian Archaeologists in Western Europe, 1991, Berlin

Biodistance, Health and Diet in the Indus and Nile Valley Civilizations: A Comparison of Contexts, Methods, and Interpretations. Annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association, 1991, Chicago

Morbidity and Mortality in the Indus Valley Civilization. Annual meeting of the Canadian Association for Physical Anthropology, 1989, Banff

Health and Nutrition in the Indus Valley Civilization. Departmental Seminar, Department of Archaeology, University of Calgary, 1988, Calgary

Prehistoric Diet in the Indus Valley Civilization: Stable Isotopes and Archaeology. The Human Biology Program and the South Asia Program Joint Seminar, 1987, Cornell University

Stable Isotopes and Diet in the Indus Valley. Archaeology Seminar, Department of Anthropology, University of California, 1987, Berkeley

Society and Disease in Prehistoric South Asia. 15th Annual Wisconsin Conference on South Asia (with Kenneth AR Kennedy), 1986, Madison

Theses

David W. Link "Elemental analysis of soil and human and animal bone from a mature phase cemetery at Harappa, Pakistan: Implications for palaeodiet reconstruction", MA 1990


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