When I arrived at Madison Airport at 9 pm on October 16, 2023,The ground temperature is only 9 degrees Celsius,Although the weather is a bit cold,But the airport is very popular,It’s very lively and bustling。In the crowd,I caught a glimpse of Professor Kenoyer who came to pick me up wearing a black leather jacket。We met during a meeting in Pakistan in 2015,Eight years have passed,Professor Kenoyer has hardly changed at all,Driving a Japanese Subaru SUV,There is a lot of space inside the car,bet365 Play online games is in line with his extensive knowledge and huge body。
I am coming to the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) bet365 Play online games time,Nominally attending the South Asian Archeology Conference held here from October 19th to 23rd,In fact, I want to listen to Professor Kenoyer’s class on the ancient civilization of the Indus Valley,And visit his famous hand-crafted retro archaeological laboratory。I listened to "The Religion and Art of Homo Sapiens" (World History Lecture) at 10:45 the next day (October 17)。On October 18th, I listened to two more lectures: "Early Civilization in Mesopotamia" and "Agriculture and the Origin of Early Countries"。Professor Kenoyer speaks clearly and clearly,Very logical,Good at inducing students to think and discuss。
The Department of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has three majors: Physical Anthropology、Cultural Anthropology and Archaeology。South Asian archeology and Sino-American archeology are two strong areas in archeology。The archeology of South Asia is mainly Professor Kenoyer,In fact, what he is best at should be called "Archaeology of Ancient Crafts and Technology"。Every summer,Professor Kenoyer is going to teach a course on "Ancient Technology and Inventions"。By reading the literature、Watch video、Hands-on operation—Experimental Archeology、Complete research,Let students understand how to make stone tools、Pottery making、Cast copper、Fayonce making and many other ancient crafts。bet365 Play online games course has won the honor of "National Quality Course"。
Professor Jonathan Mark Kenoyer was born on May 28, 1952 in Shillong, India,is an American archaeologist,Also Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison。He received his BA in Archeology from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1983、Master’s and PhD degrees。Professor Kenoyer’s doctoral thesis was on Harappan shells,bet365 Play online games is a milestone in the research on Harappan cultural handicraft industry,And thus began to enter the research field of ancient craft technology,Restore the traditional crafts of the ancient Harappans through experimental archeology。
After working at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,Professor Kenoyer focuses on the study of Indus Valley Civilization,And participated in the excavation bet365 Play online games Valley Civilization in the Indian subcontinent and neighboring areas such as Oman and Afghanistan。He also expanded his research areas to East Asia and Southeast Asia,To better understand the long-distance trade linking these regions and the subcontinent。Professor Kenoyer was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2011,is a member of the American Anthropological Association and many other professional societies。He served on the Council of American Overseas Research Centers、American Institute of India、American Institute of Bangladesh、Working in various institutions such as the American Institute of Afghanistan Research and the American Institute of Pakistan Studies,Working to connect U.S. academia with the South Asian region。He can speak Urdu fluently、Hindi and Bengali。
Professor Kenoyer has a wide range of interests and a very specialized field,The ancient civilization of South Asia,Especially the Archeology of Technology and Craftsmanship in Ancient South Asia,So his publications are basically focused on bet365 Play online games aspect。In 1998 he published "Approaching Ancient Indian Cities" (Oxford University Press),bet365 Play online games book is about technology、Decoration、The mutual display of social structure and ideology,Vividly reproduces all aspects of people’s life in the ancient Indian subcontinent;2005,He also published the book "Ancient South Asian World";The People of the Indus and the Birth of Civilization in South Asia, co-authored by him and Nikhil Gulati, was selected for publication by the South Asian National Outreach Association (SANOC) ) Sponsored 2023 Honor Books。He also won the Hilldale Award in Social Sciences from Madison University, etc.,In addition,He also published more than a hundred archaeological papers。But the most important award or the one that best illustrates his research ability,Excellence in Archaeological Analysis awarded by the Society of American Archaeology,Received bet365 Play online games award because of his "detailed and rigorous empirical research"。
The reason why archeology is between liberal arts and science,It lies in the theoretical and practical nature of bet365 Play online games subject,And the rise of multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary research paradigms in recent years。Professor Kenoyer’s concept of “Archaeology of Ancient Crafts and Technology” is to combine archeology with theory、A model of integrating practicality and science。Especially his research on the bead processing technology of the Harappan culture in the ancient Indus Valley,Be a flag for bet365 Play online games highland。
The oldest high-temperature stone artifact in the world is a bracelet made by Indus Valley artisans,Observe carefully,You can see the small inscriptions on it。The processing process of these stone bracelets is quite mysterious,In complex rituals to highlight the sacred value of the item,bet365 Play online games technology later mysteriously disappeared in the ancient cities of the Indus Valley,Never seen again in South Asia。The processing process of bet365 Play online games mysterious stone bracelet is: after careful preparation,Put four or five inscribed bracelets in a small jar,Stack bet365 Play online games small can with other cans,Apply grass mixed with mud。Archaeologists unearthed straw mixed mud with the inscription on bet365 Play online games bracelet during subsequent excavations。The stacked cans were then placed in a large can,Stamped with a square seal。Every stage of processing and burning,It will be accompanied by the appearance of inscriptions,In bet365 Play online games way, the production of products can be effectively controlled and guaranteed。However,Eventually bet365 Play online games technology was lost with the disappearance of the Indus Valley elite,More mysterious。Until today,bet365 Play online games unique stone bracelet still cannot be perfectly replicated。Such a mysterious stone bracelet may be an isolated case,But beads and other ornaments commonly seen in various prehistoric cultures。Professor Kenoyer also has particularly in-depth research on beads in ancient society,He is the president of the Bead Researchers Association,Not only study Harappan beads,Also uses Harappan technology and craftsmanship for imitation。
Among the beads unearthed from the Harappan tomb,The ornaments on the head of the deceased are made of a large number of steatite beads twisted together into circles or bunches。Considering the processing technology and difficulty of talc beads,Only then can we truly understand the extraordinary value of bet365 Play online games ornament。Each talc bead is only one millimeter in diameter and length,Thousands of talc beads constitute an ornament,breathtaking。Some scholars believe that these beads were carefully drilled and polished,Other scholars believe that talc slurry is poured into a hollow tool like a needle,Cut it later。Until today,It is also very difficult to make glass beads of bet365 Play online games size。
The developed jewelry in the cities bet365 Play online games Valley not only reflects the artistic concepts of the social elite and the technical achievements of the craftsmen at that time,And it is a symbol of social organization and order。Wearing decorations is not only a fashion for the rich and powerful,And plays an important role in the functioning of social organizations。Jewelry processed into decorations,Important religious rituals or symbolic decorations are painted on it,To protect the wearer,Or symbolizes the political and socioeconomic status of the wearer,And become a way to store wealth。For example, orange-red chalcedony is blood、A symbol of power and fertility,Blue turquoise and eye-patterned stones are often used to ward off evil spirits。Harappan craftsmen heat chalcedony to deepen its red color or bleach it,Eye pattern etched onto chalcedony beads by dissolving calcium carbide。
The processing of biconical tubular beads is a highly technical and complex process,High scrap rate,So very precious。First the chalcedony blocks were transported from the remote mining areas of Gujarat to Changhu-Daro,After several months in the sun,Sent to the pottery kiln for heating,bet365 Play online games will make the agate more brittle,Easy to saw、Chiseling and other processing。Drilling is the most difficult part of biconical tubular bead processing technology。The Harappans used a cone-shaped drill made from a rare metamorphic rock,Heat it again (like quenching),Change its original crystal structure,Produces a raw material mainly composed of quartz。bet365 Play online games extremely hard and durable tapered drill is called an Ernestite drill。Even bet365 Play online games indestructible Ernest diamond,Making a biconical tubular bead also requires six drill bits of different sizes,bet365 Play online games does not include the waste diamonds lost due to careless processing。Drilling is done by clamping the beads securely in a vise made of wood,Drilling with a bow drill。The whole process of drilling must be carried out under the cooling conditions of long and thin water,So the Harappans specially made a kind of water jar with a long pipe extending out,Place plant roots at the water outlet,To control the amount of water。Drilling experiments show,The Ernest Drill can be used at 2 per hour.5mm Progress Drilled Chalcedony。Continuous drilling for more than 24-38 hours,In order to complete the drilling process of a 6 cm long tubular bead。The length of the tubular beads on the necklaces unearthed from Mohenjo Daro and Changhu Daro ranges from 6 to 13 cm,It takes 3-8 days of continuous study to complete。Because drilling itself is very laborious,You have to take a long break after drilling for an hour,So the actual processing time of a tubular bead is 15-20 days。To make a necklace with 36 beads like the one unearthed in Alakhdina,One worker requires 480 working days。bet365 Play online games kind of tubular chalcedony beads are sold as far away as Mesopotamia,Seen in the royal tombs of Ur。
Drilling holes with a diameter of 2-3 mm for such a long bead,The technology required and its precision are extraordinary,The production of Ornest drill bits and drilling technology were strictly controlled by the ancient elites of the Indus Valley,Thus becoming part of the power。Necklace beads made of chalcedony and agate are matched and strung together,In addition to visual beauty and nobility,There is also the pleasant jingle sound of rings that collide with each other when walking,bet365 Play online games is also one of the characteristics and requirements of Harappan beads,The so-called admirable general,Don’t forget the sound of virtue,"Rig Veda" specifically records the sound of jade necklaces。
It is precisely because of Professor Kenoyer’s concept of restoring ancient craftsmanship (usually classified as intangible cultural heritage in our country),The entire laboratory looks like a handicraft workshop and antique shop。Here,You can see various stones from all over the world、bet365 Play online games、Ceramic piece、Seal、Raw materials for linen and silk and various tools for making and processing these materials。In addition, it also includes some modern instruments such as electron microscopes、Microscope、Gravity sorter, etc.。These louvered cupboards are Professor Kenoyer’s treasure chest,Each drawer holds a different stone、Jade、Horn and metal tools,There are many priceless cultural relics and antiques among them,Like bet365 Play online games、Jade、Seals, etc.。
There is one more thing I would like to mention,"The People of the Indus Valley and the Birth of South Asian Civilization" is an example of an archaeological popular science book。It depicts to us in the form of comic strips the daily life of the Harappans more than 5,000 years ago, such as food, clothing, housing and transportation,and production、Raising cattle and sheep、Trafficking goods、Scenes and images of praying and worshiping gods,Extremely vivid、Tell us the stories of people thousands of years ago in a popular and vivid way,bet365 Play online games is what we archaeologists have to do。bet365 Play online games is a comic book for children,But it made me mesmerized,Can’t bear to release the volume。
Archaeology is not the art of slaying dragons,But the discoverer of traffickers and ordinary people’s daily lives,bet365 Play online games is the purpose of Professor Kenoyer’s book。Use bet365 Play online games comic strip form to tell about archaeological sites,Sweep away the dead air,I suddenly feel full of vitality。The responsibility of archaeologists is to turn these lifeless strata and relics into the living lives above。
There is such a sentence in "One Hundred Years of Solitude",The Gypsies said when selling telescopes to the villagers: Science has shortened the space。Same,Archaeology as a practical discipline shortened: one day in 2000 BC,bet365 Play online games eyes of archaeologists,Just like yesterday。
(Author’s unit: College of History and Culture, Hebei Normal bet365 Play online games)
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