"An Archaeological Perspective of the Early Settlement of Mathura" talk by Dr. Vinay Kumar Gupta at Teen Murti House, Teen Murti Marg > 3pm on 18th September 2012
Time : 3:00 pm
Entry : Free (Seating on First-Come First-Served basis)
Place : Seminar Room, Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML), Teen Murti House, Teen Murti Marg, New Delhi
Venue Info : Events | About | Map | Nearest Metro Station - 'Race Course(Yellow Line)'
Event Details : The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library cordially invites you to The Seminar on ‘An Archaeological Perspective of the Early Settlement of Mathura’ by Dr. Vinay Kumar Gupta, Archaeological Survey of India, Delhi
Abstract : When we talk about the early settlement of Mathura, we have actually to take the region of Mathura and not the city of Mathura only. This region of Mathura may extend far beyond the limits of ancient Surasena mahajanapada or may fall within it. The same region may correspond to medieval Braj. Very little information was available about the archaeological pattern of this region prior to field work of mine but now we have solid information about this vast region for which Mathura was taken as the centre and an area covering a radius of about 60 km around it was explored. There is a strong need to re-look the initial phase of the archaeology of Mathura since it does not start with the known levels of Painted Grey Ware (P.G.W.) culture but rather with the Ochre Coloured Pottery and Copper hoard cultural tradition but not much is known about this phase. Then with the onset of P.G.W. which is till now considered a less advanced culture, we actually start getting advanced stage of archaeological pattern in the region. A detailed study of the sites has shown that all the major trade/ link networks were developed during the P.G.W. period itself and there is only advancement of many settlements in around the early centuries of the Christian era. For Mathura district itself all the data has been collected and prepared to show what the settlement pattern was during the P.G.W. period and how it advanced during the succeeding cultural stages. The overall picture confirms that Mathura region is unique in terms of its archaeological landscape and would surpass any other area in terms of site density in the whole sub-continent.
There are some patterns evolving for the location of some settlements, some important settlements still need explanation for the absence of any ancient settlement in the nearby area. There is a necessary requirement to look at the economical condition of Mathura as from the recent field work it comes out that it was already a self-sufficient economy since P.G.W. times and was not dependent on trade for survival. Yes, of course trade played an important role in the rise of Mathura to a cosmopolitan city but the area surrounding it was definitely not so dependent on trade. Even there is a need to look at the supplier chain to the major city or town centers. Location of some sites on some important routes in Hathras area adds a new dimension to this overall study. The sites of Mant and Mora may be discussed in some detail for their importance.
This whole area is not just important for the archaeological landscape but actually is the originator of most of the art forms of ancient India. The base was created at Mathura after which we start finding developed stages of various religious icons as well theological advancements in the whole country. The most important aspect is that this importance is not limited to one religious cult but rather to all important religious cults of ancient India. The importance of Mathura school did not diminish with the fall of its political importance but it continued to inspire the art of India till the late Gupta period and as an important art centre, may be at par with any other important art centre of country, continued to exist till medieval times.
Speaker : Dr. Vinay Kumar Gupta is currently working as a Consultant (Editing and Publication) in the Archaeological Survey of India, Janpath, New Delhi. He has done is Ph. D. on “Braj: An Art and Archaeological Study”. His book entitled “Buddhism in Mathura” was published in 2009 and “Mathura: An Art and Archaeological Study” is forthcoming later in 2012. He has about 12 research papers published and 14 are under various stages of publication. He has learnt Japanese language for two years and qualified JLPT Level 3. He has also recently participated in a Cultural Heritage Workshop at Smithsonian Complex, Washington DC, and University of Wisconsin, Madison for month duration.
Related Events : Talks | History
Entry : Free (Seating on First-Come First-Served basis)
Place : Seminar Room, Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML), Teen Murti House, Teen Murti Marg, New Delhi
Venue Info : Events | About | Map | Nearest Metro Station - 'Race Course(Yellow Line)'
Event Details : The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library cordially invites you to The Seminar on ‘An Archaeological Perspective of the Early Settlement of Mathura’ by Dr. Vinay Kumar Gupta, Archaeological Survey of India, Delhi
Abstract : When we talk about the early settlement of Mathura, we have actually to take the region of Mathura and not the city of Mathura only. This region of Mathura may extend far beyond the limits of ancient Surasena mahajanapada or may fall within it. The same region may correspond to medieval Braj. Very little information was available about the archaeological pattern of this region prior to field work of mine but now we have solid information about this vast region for which Mathura was taken as the centre and an area covering a radius of about 60 km around it was explored. There is a strong need to re-look the initial phase of the archaeology of Mathura since it does not start with the known levels of Painted Grey Ware (P.G.W.) culture but rather with the Ochre Coloured Pottery and Copper hoard cultural tradition but not much is known about this phase. Then with the onset of P.G.W. which is till now considered a less advanced culture, we actually start getting advanced stage of archaeological pattern in the region. A detailed study of the sites has shown that all the major trade/ link networks were developed during the P.G.W. period itself and there is only advancement of many settlements in around the early centuries of the Christian era. For Mathura district itself all the data has been collected and prepared to show what the settlement pattern was during the P.G.W. period and how it advanced during the succeeding cultural stages. The overall picture confirms that Mathura region is unique in terms of its archaeological landscape and would surpass any other area in terms of site density in the whole sub-continent.
There are some patterns evolving for the location of some settlements, some important settlements still need explanation for the absence of any ancient settlement in the nearby area. There is a necessary requirement to look at the economical condition of Mathura as from the recent field work it comes out that it was already a self-sufficient economy since P.G.W. times and was not dependent on trade for survival. Yes, of course trade played an important role in the rise of Mathura to a cosmopolitan city but the area surrounding it was definitely not so dependent on trade. Even there is a need to look at the supplier chain to the major city or town centers. Location of some sites on some important routes in Hathras area adds a new dimension to this overall study. The sites of Mant and Mora may be discussed in some detail for their importance.
This whole area is not just important for the archaeological landscape but actually is the originator of most of the art forms of ancient India. The base was created at Mathura after which we start finding developed stages of various religious icons as well theological advancements in the whole country. The most important aspect is that this importance is not limited to one religious cult but rather to all important religious cults of ancient India. The importance of Mathura school did not diminish with the fall of its political importance but it continued to inspire the art of India till the late Gupta period and as an important art centre, may be at par with any other important art centre of country, continued to exist till medieval times.
Speaker : Dr. Vinay Kumar Gupta is currently working as a Consultant (Editing and Publication) in the Archaeological Survey of India, Janpath, New Delhi. He has done is Ph. D. on “Braj: An Art and Archaeological Study”. His book entitled “Buddhism in Mathura” was published in 2009 and “Mathura: An Art and Archaeological Study” is forthcoming later in 2012. He has about 12 research papers published and 14 are under various stages of publication. He has learnt Japanese language for two years and qualified JLPT Level 3. He has also recently participated in a Cultural Heritage Workshop at Smithsonian Complex, Washington DC, and University of Wisconsin, Madison for month duration.
Related Events : Talks | History
"An Archaeological Perspective of the Early Settlement of Mathura" talk by Dr. Vinay Kumar Gupta at Teen Murti House, Teen Murti Marg > 3pm on 18th September 2012
!["An Archaeological Perspective of the Early Settlement of Mathura" talk by Dr. Vinay Kumar Gupta at Teen Murti House, Teen Murti Marg > 3pm on 18th September 2012]()
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Tuesday, September 18, 2012
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