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Associate Professor of Anthropology
Ph.D. 1984, Harvard, M.A. 1978, Harvard, 1975, B.A. Wellesley.
Email:
Research Interests: Urbanism; state formation; gender relations; the ancient Near East, Egypt and South Asia.
Affiliations: Member of the Center for the Study of Human Origins
Selected Works:
"Prehistory of Urbanism" (2002) - Encyclopedia of Urbanism. M. and C. Ember, editors. Grolier Press.
"Digging Women". (2000) Women’s Review of Books, February Vol. XVII, No. 5.
Craft and Social Identity (1998) (with Cathy Lynn Costin, editors). Washington D.C.: American Anthropological Association, Archaeology Division Monograph 8.
Gender and Archaeology (1996) (editor) - University of Pennsylvania Press.
"Contexts of Specialization: V. Gordon Childe and Social Evolution". In B. Wailes, editor, Craft Specialization and Social Evolution: In Memory of V. Gordon Childe. Philadelphia PA: University Museum Monograph 93:123-132.
Current News / Projects
Updated July 2009 My research on the Beas Regional Survey, which I conducted near the city of Harappa, Pakistan, a major center in the Indus civilization, continues in my laboratory. From its inception, we had hoped to excavate some of the survey sites, especially one with a long sequence of occupation that parallels Harappa’s and another within 23 kilometers of the site, where (not surprisingly) we have discovered many artifacts with close ties to the ancient city. At this writing, the prospect of returning to Pakistan to conduct the research is not promising, and we (my collaborators Afzal Khan and Joe Schuldenrein) are moving forward with preparation of a monograph, which will provide researchers with the results of our research and with a better understanding urbanism in the civilization. These data are already providing new views on some key periods of the civilization. In an article in Antiquity (2008), we introduced evidence from our on-the-ground surveys and archaeo-climate modeling. This evidence showed that local changes in climate were factors in the abandonment of some Beas settlements. We are now working on the strategies that Indus farmers developed in response to the climate change.
This winter I traveled to the Arabian Peninsula to study Indus materials that have been discovered in Bahrein, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, which are housed at several museums and repositories. I also was invited to participate in a conference organized by the Abu Dhabi, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development, where I presented a paper. As part of the research, I visited some of the sites where the materials were discovered. Contacts between the Indus and these settlements involved a complex interaction that included migrations and trade, a project I currently am pursuing.
The ninth book in my series Case Studies in Early Societies (Cambridge University Press), written by Robert Wenke, The Ancient Egyptian State: The Origins of Egyptian Culture (c. 8000-2000 B.C.), was published this year. Seven other books are in the pipeline. My own book, The Ancient Indus: Urbanism, Economy and Society, will be out by July 2009. An amusing note: In addition to my Indus book, an additional book is listed on Amazon.com, Industrial Valley Civilization: Rise. Unfortunately, it is already out-of-print. Not sure where that information came from or what they could be thinking!
Finally, along with Jen Piro and twenty-five undergraduates, we have now completed our Archaeological Collections Project. After two and half years, all of the 250 or so boxes of artifacts have been removed from the basement of 25 Waverly Place and are now safely stored at proper museums or repositories. In addition to learning laboratory skills, the project provided students with a hands-on understanding of ethical standards applied in the proper care of artifact collections. For additional information, you can click out the link on the department web site.
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