A Simple Introduction to Archaeology

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Archaeology has become a fascinating subject in recent decades. The history-loving people want to know all about archaeology. The past has always been a matter of great importance to them. But, many people think archaeology and history are boring subjects. This is mostly because their first introduction to archaeology has not been interesting enough.

Sometimes the definitions of these two subjects in books and lectures are boring or difficult to understand. People, especially students, cannot relate to the subjects.

In this article, I am going to give a simple and brief introduction to archaeology. After that, you will understand archaeology is not just collecting old stuff and digging old places. It is much more than that! First, see some definitions of archaeology with a little bit of background. After that, we will try to understand the importance of archaeology.

What is Archaeology?

Let us begin your introduction to archaeology with a brief background history of the field. The formal study of archaeology started in the mid-19th century. In North America, archaeology is considered a sub-field of anthropology. However, in some parts of Europe, it belongs to a different field.

The word Archaeology is a combination of two Greek words, archaios which means old or ancient, and logia, which means learning or studying. Together these two words mean studying or learning about ancient objects.

Scientists have defined archaeology in many ways. You will find tons of definitions of archaeology on the internet. So, to make things easy, we have picked some interesting ones for you:

“The study of the buildings, graves, tools, and other objects that belonged to people who lived in the past, in order to learn about their culture and society”

Cambridge Dictionary

“Archaeology is the scientific study of peoples of the past… their culture and their relationship with their environment. The purpose of archaeology is to understand how humans in the past interacted with their environment, and to preserve this history for present and future learning.” ( Larry J. Zimmerman)

“[Archaeology] is the method of finding out about the past of the human race in its material aspects and the study of the products of this past.” (Kathleen Kenyon, 1956. Beginning in Archaeology. Phoenix House, London).

So, what do you find common in these definitions? All of them give a lot of emphasis on studying past human civilizations and their cultures. And how is that possible? Archaeologists say it is possible to understand ancient civilization and humans through the scientific study of places, objects or materials left behind by the people.

“Material remains” means anything we can touch. It can be buried remains, relics, objects and constructions (buildings, monuments or structures etc.). Archaeologists discover these things to investigate the past.

Types of Archaeology

The field of archaeology is huge. There are many types of archaeology studying different subjects of the past. From shipwrecks to the Ancient Pyramids of Egypt, archaeology covers a lot of things. Here are some well-known branches of archaeology briefly talked about for your knowledge.

Prehistoric Archaeology

The subject of prehistoric archaeology is prehistory. It studies the past before written records were available. As there is no written evidence, prehistoric archaeology has to take help from anthropology, biology, and geology. Archaeologists carefully examine ancient materials. Then, they come up with different theories based on their findings.

Historical Archaeology

Historical archaeology works with the materials of the past or present through the help of written and oral information. Archaeologists scientifically examine the findings and cross-check them with written information. The writing system is a fairly recent invention compared to the existence of humans in this world. So, we can say that historical archaeology studies recent historical events and the past.

Biblical Archaeology

This branch of archaeology deals with the biblical account of the Ancient Near East and the Holy Land (Palestine, Israel, and Canaan). Biblical archaeology was first introduced in the late 19th century. The archaeologists of this field follow the Hebrew Bible as their main source. Combined with the theories and practices of archaeology, biblical archaeology tries to understand the past culture of Palestine and Israel. This field is mostly concerned with the Iron age.

Classical Archaeology

This area of archaeology is fully dedicated to research on the Greek and Roman civilizations. Classical archaeology became a formal research program during the 19th century. Archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann had an obsession with Greek and Roman history. He contributed a lot to developing the field of classical archaeology. Many institutions still conduct excavations to discover more about Greek and Roman civilizations.

Underwater Archaeology

The study of shipwrecks, submerged archaeological sites, and materials is called underwater archaeology. In the past, underwater archaeology was not considered a field of archaeology. But, the idea changed when universities started to consider the field an important part of archaeological research. Now, it has its own branches like maritime archaeology and aviation archaeology.

Industrial Archaeology

This field of archaeology systematically studies the industrial past. Industrial archaeology focuses on the industrial past and things related to the industrial revolution. The archaeologists of this field focus on materials like buildings, technology, artifacts, sites, infrastructure, and documents related to the industrial era. The field of industrial archaeology was introduced during the 1950s in Great Britain.

A Specialized Fields

There are fields of archaeology focused on specific civilizations such as Egyptology, Mayanology, Assyriology, and so on. Egyptology studies the history of ancient Egypt, culture, language, literature, and archaeology. Similarly, Mayanology focuses on the Mayan civilization, and Assyriology focuses on the history of Assyria, its language, and its materials. Many archaeologists dedicate their lives to studying only one specific field. Thus, they are also known as Egyptologists, Mayanologists, Assyriologists, etc.

What is the importance of archaeology?

Now, after your introduction to archaeology, you are probably thinking, what is the importance of archaeology? What is the point of knowing about the past? Or how is it related to our present?
You might have heard people say that the past does not matter. But, the past actually matters for human civilization. Archaeology is important for modern civilization in many ways. It is a magical door to the past. Let us see how archaeology is important for us.


First, archaeology can change history. The evidence of archaeology can either support the written evidence of history or dismiss it. A simple analysis of ancient pottery, tools, or even jewelry can change history. Archaeology follows scientific methods to investigate the past. Thus, it can prove whether any historical records are true or fabricated. Since the research is based on scientific evidence, there is very little possibility of a mistake.


Second, archaeology studies the lost civilizations and their culture to understand the development of human society. Archaeologists examine archaeological evidence like relics, buildings, constructions, monuments, places, and the environment. This observation helps us to know how human civilizations gradually developed through the ages.


Thirdly, archaeology can tell us when the past civilizations started, how they thrived, and why they collapsed. This knowledge will teach us about the past mistakes of ancient society and why they could not prevail. Observations can also predict human action and what can be the consequence based on the past. So, we can avoid repeating the same mistakes as the previous civilizations.

Conclusion

Finally, I hope this simple introduction to archaeology has sparked at least a little bit of interest in you about archaeology. The past has always been an attractive subject for many people. Solving the past can mean a lot for the present which is not possible without archaeology.

Bibliography

  1. Archaeology. Wikipedia, 2020.
  2. Hirst, K. Kris. “Defining Archaeology: 40 Different Ways to Describe Archaeology.” ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/different-ways-to-describe-archaeology-169847.
  3. Jarus, Owen. “What Is Archaeology?” LiveScience, Purch, 28 Mar. 2014, www.livescience.com/44448-what-is-archaeology.html.
  4. Johnston, Grahame. “Types of Archaeology.” Archaeology Expert, 29 July 2020, www.archaeologyexpert.co.uk/typesofarchaeology.html.


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

       

Ancient Buddhist Stupa Discovered in Munshigonj

Reading Time: 3 minutes

An ancient Buddhist Stupa has recently been discovered in Munshigonj. Archaeologists found this Stupa while excavating at Nateshwar, a village under Tangipara Upazila. This is not the first archaeological structure to be found in this area. Many archaeological and historical sites have been discovered since 2013.

Excavations have been conducted by Bangladeshi archaeologist teams from Jahangir University and Cumilla University. The Agrashar Vikrampur Foundation and Chinese archaeologists are providing support to fully excavate the region. The new Buddhist stupa is the result of the second phase excavation by the Agrashar Vikrampur Foundation in Nateshwar.

According to Sufi Mostafizur Rahman who is the Director of the Archaeological Excavation and Research program and Professor of Archeology Department of Jahangirnagar University, the Stupa was the centre of the Buddhist religion and the centre of religious practice. It is the largest Buddhist Stupa ever found in Bangladesh. It is believed to be consanguineous with the stupas of Sanchi, Bharhut and Amravati in India.

North-east side of the Buddhist stupa has been excavated which is 43.5 meters long and its height is 43 meters. Four stupa hall rooms, huge central room, several rooms, border walls, and entrance path can be identified of the Buddhist Stupa. More than 5000 square meters of area in Munshigonj has been excavated from 2013 to 2018. The pyramid-shaped Buddhist stupa has been excavated in the year 2018 to 2019.

In the past, The Daily Star reported that 16 stupas have been discovered in Nateshwar from 2013 to 2016. The stupas have exceptional designs and unique archaeological style. Each of them is square shaped and the walls are made of bricks. The brick walls are 16 meters in length and 3.5 meters in width.

A few years ago, an ancients Buddhist city was discovered in Munshigonj. Various structures, old roads and drains were found in that site. Professor Mustafizur Rahman told the Daily Star that they had sent samples in the US for carbon test and the tests proved that the site was more than 1,100 years old.

Munshigonj, known as Bikrampur in the past, has always been a place of rich cultural heritage. It was one of the capital cities of Bengal during the Vedic Period. Around 820, emperor Dharmapala constructed approximately 30 monasteries during his reign and the discovered monastery is one of them.

The city was also famous for being a centre of Buddhist teaching and religious practice. The place might be the birthplace of the famous Buddhist scholar Atish Dipankar. He also might have been in this area for teaching Buddhism. Thousands of teachers, monks, preachers and students came to Bikrampur from far places like Thailand, Nepal, China and Tibet. Thus, the sites are very important for archaeologists from both Bangladesh and China to understand the great scholar and his life.

The team of archaeologists has a plan for more excavations for the next five years. Moreover, there is a plan to build an archaeological park in Nateswar as many historical and archaeological sites. From these sites, the archaeologists also discovered many relics and pottery.

So, there are enough resources to make it an archaeological park with a museum where history lovers can learn about the ancient ‘Temple City’ of Bangladesh. The researchers also believe that the sites of Munshigonj will receive recognition from UNESCO World Heritage site.

References:

  1. 1000-yr old Buddhist city in Munshiganj. (2018, January 05). Retrieved from https://en.prothomalo.com/science-technology/news/168993/1000-yr-old-Buddhist-city-in-Munshiganj
  2. 16 Buddhist stupas found at Nateshwar. (2016, January 30). Retrieved May 12, 2019, from https://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/16-buddhist-stupas-found-nateshwar-209926
  3. Archaeological Park to be set up in Nateshwar. (2019, February 20). Retrieved May 12, 2019, from https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2019/02/20/archaeological-park-to-be-set-up-in-nateshwar
  4. Bikrampur Vihara. (2019, March 11). Retrieved May 12, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikrampur_Vihara
  5. Lizleafloor. (2018, June 08). 1,000-year-old Buddhist temple found in Bangladesh with links to venerated ancient scholar. Retrieved from https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/1000-year-old-buddhist-temple-found-bangladesh-ancient-020221
  6. Unb. (2018, January 06). Nateshwar can be world heritage site. Retrieved May 12, 2019, from https://www.thedailystar.net/city/nateshwar-can-be-world-heritage-site-1515700

Artifacts and Relics of Wari-Bateshwar

Wari Bateshwar Beads
Reading Time: 6 minutes

Table Of Contents
  1. Artifacts and Relics of Wari-Bateshwar
  2. Punched Marked Silver Coins
  3. Semi-precious Stone Beads
  4. Knobbed Ware
  5. Northern Black Polished Ware
  6. Rouletted Wares
  7. Black and Red Ware
  8. Lockets and Charmed Amulets
  9. Final Words
  10. References and Further Readings:

Artifacts and Relics of Wari-Bateshwar

Artifacts and relics of Wari-Bateshwar have changed the history of Bangladesh. Archaeologists collected many artifacts and relics from nearly 50 sites of Wari-Bateshwar. Moreover, Hanif Pathan and Habibullah Pathan contributed a lot to the museum. Among these artifacts, there are Neolithic Celt, semi-precious stone beads, sandwich glass beads, pendants, amulets, flakes, early historic blades, black and red wares, knobbed wares, rouletted wares, northern black polished wares, vessels, statues, and punch-marked silver coins. These discoveries are proof of civilized people living in these sites who knew modern techniques. The best way to understand the past is by studying the artifacts used in the past. So, here are some important artifacts and relics of Wari-Bateshwar we should know to understand the ancient city.

Punched Marked Silver Coins

A great number of silver coins were discovered from Wari-Bateshwar and nearby villages such as Kandua, Marjal, Jessore, Kundarpara, Jaimangal, Candipara, Patuli, Chula, Harisangan and Govasia. There are two types of punched silver coins found in these areas. One of them belonged to Janapada or the pre-Mauryan period. These coins circulated from 600 B.C. to 400 B.C. in some parts of the MahaJanapada (ca. 600-400 BC) kingdom of the Indian subcontinent. The other series of coins belonged to the Mauryan period (400 BC to 200 BC).

This means Wari-Bateshwar could have been a port city that traded with other parts of the Indian subcontinent. The coins have unique shapes and sizes. Most of these are oval, circular, rectangular or square. The people of Wari-Bateshwar marked the coins with various signs and symbols like cow, elephant, deer, owl, sun, tree, flower, wheel, trident, mountain, bird, six-armed devices and so on. Many of these silver coins also have symbols of lobsters, fish, tortoise and boat. These symbols show naval connections. This means Wari-Bateshwar was a city that had river-based trade and commerce. Archaeologists found similar coins in other parts of Bangladesh such as Rajshahi, Bogura and Mymensingh, but the amount is not as much as Wari-Bateshwar. 

Wari-Bateshwar Coin
Punched Marked Silver Coins By SM Iftekhar Alam.
Semi-precious Stone Beads

Archaeologists found a lot of semi-precious stone beads from Wari-Bateshwar. the local people call them ‘Solemani Pathor’ or ‘Stone beads of King Solomon’. These beads are made of carnelian, agate, jasper, quartz, amethyst, chalcedony, chert and crystal. The ancient people of Wari-Bateshwar used various techniques to cut, colour, and polish the beads. Local people still find these beads in their fields. According to archaeologists, Wari-Bateshwar was probably a manufacturing place of the beads.

Wari Bateshwar Beads
Wari Bateshwar Beads By James Lankton. University College London. Institute of Archaeology.

The beads have different shapes and sizes such as cylindrical, globular, pentagonal, triangular, hexagonal, oval, trapezoid, barrel, disc, spherical, crescent and diamond. The artisans used natural soda and crushed shoots of Kirar to polish the beads. After that, they baked or burned the beads. This technique was also common in Harappa (3rd-2nd millennium) in South Asia. The technique vanished for a long time but revived in the Ganga Valley between 600 BC and 200 AD. So, this means Wari-Bateshwar had a link with south and south-east Asia during the Early Historic Period and traded stone beads.     

Wari & Bateshwar- Beads
Semi-precious Stone Beads.
Knobbed Ware

Knobbed Wares common discoveries from the sites of Bangladesh, India and south-east Asia. Recently, archaeologists found knobbed ware in Wari-Bateshwar. In fact, Wari-Bateshwar is the only site of Bangladesh where knobbed wares have been found. The potters used a combination of tin-bronzed metals to make knobbed wares. One feature common of these vessels is 7-10 grooved spots around a knob in the middle. The exact use of knobbed wares is still unknown. But archaeologists guess that people used the vessels for religious and funeral purposes.

Northern Black Polished Ware

The northern black polished wares from Wari-Bateshware have exceptional quality. They have different colours and sizes. Most of them are black with a combination of red. The vessels were usually made from clay of the Ganga Plain. They were coated and polished with chemicals and then well-baked at a perfect temperature. The northern black wares are indicators of urbanization and artistic superiority. The elite people of society might have used these vessels just for their artistic value. Therefore, they are known as “Elite Ware”. Gold, bronze and magnetite were used to make these vessels. So, they were very expensive. Apart from Wari-Bateshware, Bangladeshi archaeologists have discovered northern black wares from Mangalkate, Chandaketugarh and Mahastangarh. The presence of a great number of the vessels establishes a correlation between the Maurya Empire and the practice of Buddhism in Wari-Bateshware.

Rouletted Wares

Rouletted wares originally came from India, Sri Lanka, other Asian countries and Rome. The rouletted wares are a type of colourful dish with unique patterns. The patterns consist of various shapes like tiny dots, strokes, wedges and triangles. We can see similar vessels in the archaeological site like Mahastangargh and Wari-Bateshwar of Bangladesh. Rouletted Ware, knobbed ware, northern black polished ware, different beads, amulets and pendants etc. were not native art of Bangladesh. The Buddhist monks might have brought these items with them when they travelled to Bangladesh from other parts of the Indian subcontinent.

Black and Red Ware

One of the significant findings in Wari-Bateshwar is black and redware. The interior of the vessel was painted black and the exterior was painted in black and red. Specialists think the potters baked the vessels in a special oven to give them unique colours. Black and red wares were mostly made in wheels, but sometimes they were handmade. The excavators found black and red wares of different shapes and sizes from the sites of Wari-Bateshwar. Among them, there were some flower vases, jars and bowls. According to the carbon dating, the pots developed during 1500 BC and continued to grow till the Chalcolithic culture fused into the historical period dating from the 3rd century BC.

Wari Bateshwar Artifacts
Wari Bateshwar Artifacts By James Lankton. University College London. Institute of Archaeology.
Lockets and Charmed Amulets

Till now, excavators found various kinds of lockets and charmed amulets from Wari-Bateshwar. The pendants have carvings of animals like lions, tigers, elephants, turtles, and swans. The Archealogits collected an amulet from the village Sonarutala of Wari. The amulet has exquisite artistic carvings in the middle. There is a goddess standing on a pot. She is holding a horn in her right hand and a halo in the left hand. She is wearing a funnel-shaped crown and huge earrings.

We can also see a woman and a man kneeling before the goddess who is praying to her. From the two holes at the two ends of the amulet, it seems, someone wore it as a charming amulet. Specialists think this rare pendant was used in 3rd-2nd BC. According to Dilip Kumar Chakrabarti, the goddess is Ghath Devi, and the amulet is one of the artistic crafts of the Maurya period.

Final Words

All these artifacts and relics of Wari-Bateshwar are proof that the ancient city was a center of trade and commerce of its time. Trading with different parts of the world was possible for the city because it was located near the Brahmaputra river. The river Brahmaputra had a close connection with the river Ganga and thus connected with different parts of the world. Its location and artifacts are quite similar to Gangaridae. Greek and Latin writers like Ptolemy, Virgil, Strabo, Diodorus, Kartius and Plutarch mentioned Gangaridae as a powerful kingdom several times.

Artifacts and Relics of Wari-Bateshwar By Umme Hanee licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

References and Further Readings:
  • Hamid, Kazi Kawsar. “Wari-Bateshwar: The Story Of An Ancient Fort City.” Daily Sun, 2018, www.daily-sun.com/post/332579/2018/08/30/WariBateshwar:-The-Story-Of-An-Ancient-Fort-City-.
  • Hossain, Emran. “Wari-Bateshwar One of Earliest Kingdoms.” The Daily Star, The Daily Star, 18 Mar.         2008, www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-28431.
  • Jahan, Shahnaj Husne. “Archaeology of Wari-Bateshwar.” Ancient Asia, vol. 2, 2010, p. 135.,        doi:10.5334/aa.10210.
  • Salim, MD Adnan Arif. Pratnocharchai Bangladesh. Prakriti-Porichoy,2015.
  • “Wari Bateshwar.” Tongi Industrial Area Comments, offroadbangladesh.com/places/wari- bateshwar/.
  • “Wari-Bateshwar.” Bengal British India Society – Banglapedia, 2015,en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Wari-Bateshwar.

Brief Introduction to Public Archaeology

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Table Of Contents
  1. Introduction
  2. What is Public Archaeology
  3. How Public Archaeology Functions
  4. Problems Related to Public Archaeology

Introduction

If you know about archaeology, you must have also heard about public archaeology too. General people are allowed to visit many Archaeological sites. In many countries, archaeological sites are used to attract many tourists all around the world. Unfortunately, sometimes the historical or archaeological sites or places are harmed by careless people.

In this article, I am going to talk briefly about what is public archaeology, how it functions and the problems related to public archaeology.

What is Public Archaeology

Public archaeology is the practice of providing archaeological information to the general public. It is also known as community archaeology in the United Kingdom. However, there is little difference between public archaeology and community archaeology.

Paharpur Buddhist Monastery by Masnad is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Public archaeology aims to inform people about important archaeological discoveries. For this, general people get access to documents, pamphlets, books, journals, television programs, websites, and museum displays.

They can also get access to visiting archaeological sites. Thus, people can have clear ideas about the value of historical sites.

General people should be allowed to visit archaeological sites as they directly or indirectly pay for these discoveries.

How Public Archaeology Functions

Community or public archaeology is the archaeology by the people for the people. Community archaeology tries to understand the past through archaeological discoveries and their connection to modern people. In this case, the archaeologists and the local people help each other by sharing information. The local people can also provide their knowledge and add to the research. This practice allows the local community to take part in the primary stage of planning a project. People can help in many ways. They can help by forming research questions, conducting surveys, collecting data, and analyzing the data.

Public archaeology also aims at preserving and protecting archaeological remains. In this case, the government plays a great role. The government has systems like Heritage Management (HM) or Cultural Resource Management (CRM). It is formed to organize publicly funded projects, excavations, and researches. Museums, historical organizations, and professional archaeologists manage most of the public archaeological researches.

Ishtar-Gate. Pergamon Museum
Ishtar Gate. Pergamon Museum. By youngrobv is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.

The Lion is the symbol of Babylon and represents Ishtar, the goddess of fertility, love and war. Meant not only to symbolize Babylon but to instill fear in enemies.

The tiles were completely shattered, requiring around two years to clean, preserve and reassemble. The more vivid blue tiles surrounding the figure were recreated using the original glazing process to complete the lower blue-tiled section of the processional way in Berlin’s Pergamon Museum.

Problems Related to Public Archaeology

Before developing any public archaeological projects, archaeologists must consider some aspects. They must realize that the projects may fall victim to looting, vandalism, or damage. Unfortunately, some people and organizations have unethical intentions for archaeological sites and antiquities. So, giving access to valuable sites can cause a lot of problems. Some major problems related to public archaeology are:

  1. Looting or Robbing: There are risks in presenting archaeological findings to the public. This may attract robbers and looters who only care for money and not about cultural values. Corrupted people often loot archaeological sites for relics. They sell the relics on the black market. This is a great loss because the relics can provide crucial information about the past. Moreover, the robbers can carelessly harm the archaeological sites when they rob the places.
  2. Vandalism: Archaeological discoveries may not be pleasant for everyone in society. A particular group of people may feel offended by some discoveries which are threatening to their religion, culture, and beliefs. This may often drive them to vandalize the archaeological remains and sites. The archaeologists related to the research may also be threatened.
  3.  International Trades: International trade policy does not have strong laws against buying and selling looted archaeological artifacts. So, constantly informing the public about valuable archaeological discoveries may attract traders. The information and photos of archaeological relics help culprits to easily collect them. They can find a potential buyer even before the items are on the market. Thus, advertising archaeological discoveries can be a serious threat.
  4. Privacy Issues:  Sometimes declaring a site as public archaeology brings many problems to the locals. Suddenly, archaeologists come and dig up their lands. Besides, some discoveries can hamper the social and cultural life of a community living near the archaeological sites. A community’s spiritual beliefs about the landscape and its elements become threatened. Furthermore, some people may feel uncomfortable learning about the past rituals of their culture or religion (e.g. Animal slaughtering, cannibalism, etc.).