Book Reviews : HIMANSHU PRABHA RAY, (ed.), Archaeology of Seafaring: The Indian Ocean in the Ancient Period, Indian Council of Historical Research, Delhi, Pragati Publications, 1999, pp. 352

Abstract

This book is an attempt at compiling recent archaeological research on seafaring activity in the Indian Ocean. It comprises eight papers which fall into two broad categories: those which focus on archaeological discoveries based essentially on fieldwork (ethnoarchaeology, archaeobotany, nautical technology) and those which deal with specific problems in the interpretation of source material (literary accounts and archaeological discoveries). Most of the chapters dealing with archaeological material are concerned with the identification and interpretation of different items. First, we find the outcome of recent investigations conducted on fauna and flora in the subcontinent, a subject that has received little attention in archaeological studies and has been confined to limited sites. Substantial details are given on the utilisation of marine resources, specially the fishing industry in the settlements of the Indus Valley civilisation in W.R. Belcher’s paper, which shows that it accounted for a substantial share of food in the settlements of this region and, the non-mechanised procurement techniques of modern Pakistani fisherfolk being similar to those of the Harappan period, it is possible to reconstruct the ancient technology employed during that time by examining the patterns of fish remains visible in archaeological records. Then there is a research study by R.T.J. Cappers on articles of botanical origin