Synopsis
Just a century ago, scholars believed that civilization in the Indus Valley began three thousand years ago during the Vedic Age. But in the autumn of 1924, John Marshall made an announcement that rocked the understanding of the ancient world and pushed back the boundaries of Indian history by two thousand years more: the discovery of the civilization at Harappa, located in present-day Sindh and Punjab, Pakistan. A sophisticated culture dating back to 2600 BCE, this ancient city was notable for its well-planned streets and for having the oldest known urban sanitation system.
Based on previously unknown archival materials, Finding Forgotten Cities not only details an archeological discovery on the same scale as Troy, but introduces us to the colorful cast of characters who made it possible and overcome the challenges and travails of this colossal excavation. Nayanjot Lahiri’s fascinating history includes tales of self-taught archaeologists like Charles Masson, the collector who first described an ancient Indus Valley culture, as well as Alexander Cunningham, the archaeological pioneer who first excavated Harappa with diggers Daya Ram Sahni, Rakhaldas Banerji, and Madho Sarup Vats in the 1850s. And, at the center of Lahiri’s story is John Marshall, a Cambridge classicist brought by Lord Curzon to India to lead the Archaeological Survey of India and the man who finally pieced together the truth about this long-forgotten civilization.
Spanning nearly a century, Finding Forgotten Cities presents a powerful narrative history of one of the key sites of the ancient world offers interesting insight into the origins of modern civilization.
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Finding Forgotten Cities : How the Indus Civilization was Discovered
Seller: Vedams eBooks (P) Ltd, New Delhi, India
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Soft cover. Condition: New. In the autumn of 1924 the scholar archaeologist John Marshall made an announcement that at one stroke dramatically altered existing perceptions of South Asias antiquity he proclaimed the discovery of the civilization of the Indus valley Within weeks Marshalls news was recognized as conveying one of the most monumental discoveries in the history of human civilization the world over it became apparent that this was on the same scale as the findings of Heinrich Schliemann who unearthed Troy and Arthur Evans who dug out Minoan Crete The Troy and Crete stories have been well told several times over But a detailed archivally rich and completely accessible narrative of the people processes places and puzzles that led up to Marshalls proclamation on the Indus civilization has like the civilization itself long remained buried Now for the first time in this book we have the whole story enchantingly told Nayanjot Lahiri has mined and deployed as never before bureaucratic memoranda colonial noting marginal letters and piecemeal musings within the institutions and in the work of individuals who collectively discovered the Indian subcontinents earliest cities Spanning nearly a century this is a tale of men such as the colourful collector traveller Charles Masson who first described Harappa the archaeological pioneer Alexander Cunningham Harappas first excavator discerning diggers such as Daya Ram Sahni Rakhaldas Banerji and Madho Sarup Vats who uncovered Harappa and Mohenjodaro the Italian linguist turned explorer Luigi Pio Tessitori who unearthed Kalibangan but never lived to tell the tale of his exploits government officials of all kinds who as self taught archaeologists stumbled upon significant clues in their work arenas and presiding over the whole process a Cambridge classicist brought by Lord Curzon to India as Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India John Marshall who finally pieced into place a maze of enigmatic data on the long forgotten Indus civilization Finding Forgotten Cities combines an astonishing amount of detail hitherto undisclosed on the lives and times of these men It comprises a powerful narrative history of how Indias antiquity was unexpectedly unearthed It will interest every serious reader of history and anyone who likes to read an utterly fascinating story 410 pp. Seller Inventory # 83254