Book Description

Illustrations: 20 B/w Illustrations and 8 Maps Description: Book: The Aryans: Myth And Archaeology The Aryan problem is probably the most controversial in human history. Numerous scholars have attempted to trace the homeland of Vedic Aryans but no solutions is in sight in spite of the vast mass of literature. However, archaeological evidence of great significance has recently become available which throws a flood of light on the problem as it corroborates to a considerable extent the literary testimony and is even supported by that of the human skeletal biology. It has therefore become possible to locate the original homeland of the Aryan, the period of their migrations, the data of the composition of Rgveda, the flowering of the Vedic culture and finally their diaspora in different directions, not only in India but beyond its frontiers. The study thus represents a unique blend of the archaeological, literary and anthropological evidence. About Author : M.K. Dhavalikar was formerly Professor of Archaeology and Director, Deccan College Post-Graduate Research Institute, Pune. He has carried out several excavations in different parts of the country and his publications include: Cultural Imperialism: Indus Civilization in Western India (1994), Indian Protohistory (1997), Historical Archaeology of India (1999), Environment and Culture: A Historical Perspective (2002), and Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology, Vol. III (in press), besides excavation reports. Contents : List of Figures Preface Abbreviations Elusive Aryans Culture of the Rgveda Archaeological Traces of the Aryans Ancestros of Vedic Aryans Aryan Diaspora Bibliography Index The Aryan problem is probably the most controversial in human history. Numerous scholars have attempted to trace the homeland of Vedic Aryans but no solutions is in sight in spite of the vast mass of literature. However, archaeological evidence of great significance has recently become available which throws a flood of light on the problem as it corroborates to a considerable extent the literary testimony and is even supported by that of the human skeletal biology. It has therefore become possible to locate the original homeland of the Aryan, the period of their migrations, the data of the composition of Rgveda, the flowering of the Vedic culture and finally their diaspora in different directions, not only in India but beyond its frontiers. The study thus represents a unique blend of the archaeological, literary and anthropological evidence. About Author : M.K. Dhavalikar was formerly Professor of Archaeology and Director, Deccan College Post-Graduate Research Institute, Pune. He has carried out several excavations in different parts of the country and his publications include: Cultural Imperialism: Indus Civilization in Western India (1994), Indian Protohistory (1997), Historical Archaeology of India (1999), Environment and Culture: A Historical Perspective (2002), and Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology, Vol. III (in press), besides excavation reports. Contents : List of Figures Preface Abbreviations Elusive Aryans Culture of the Rgveda Archaeological Traces of the Aryans Ancestros of Vedic Aryans Aryan Diaspora Bibliography Index