Review
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This volume offers the best description and analysis
of the nature of [Indus] civilization. Illustrated with an
abundance of line drawings, charts, and s, the volume richly
illuminates architecture, material culture, and arts and
crafts....Offering thebest available presentation of the Indus
civilization, this volume successfully fulfills the needs of both
general readers and spets...Essential...[f]or all those
interested in ancient civilizationssss (C.C. Lamberg-Karlovsky,
Harvard University CHOICE, June 2003)
Possehl's book is more detailed, and in particular highlights his
ability to synthesize information into a coherent whole. In
addition he offers a number of hypotheses that will serve as
catalysts for academic debate. (London Times Higher Education
Supplement)
This book by a well-known anthropologist puts together all that
is known about this fascinating culture. He examines the
economic, agricultural, religious and artistic aspects of this
ancient civilisation and draws some startling conclusions...[The]
explosive observations of the author, who...has done extensive
research on the Indus civilisation, make this volume valuable for
scholars, students and lay readers alike...he makes the riddle of
the Indus Age all the more enigmatic. (Jaswant Singh The Sunday
Tribune- Spectrum)
...makes an important contribution to the archaeology of South
Asia by bringing together a large body of information from an
area that has generally been ignored and misunderstood by
nonspets. (Michael P. Neeley, Montana State University
American Antiquity, Vol. 69, No. 1, 2004)
An accessible volume for the nonspet...There is a great
need for such a book...the work is refreshing: Possehl takes
strong stands on a variety of issues, but he presents his
perspective clearly and in ways that can contribute to productive
classroom discussions...this book will make a valuable launching
point for undergraduate and graduate courses on South Asian
archaeology or comparative courses on early states and
civilizations. (Carla M. Sinopoli, University of Michigan Journal
of Anthropological Research, Vol. 60, 2004)
A succinct but thorough and comprehensive textbook, readable,
clearly arranged and invitingly designed, The Indus is a most
welcome guide to a topic widely known of but not easy, until now,
to learn more about. (Antiquity)
The Indus civilization was one of the most important complex
societies in the pre-industrial world. But despite significant
archaeological attention over the years, it remains one of the
most enigmatic civilizations to both scholars and the general
public alike. Professor Possehl's engagingly written and
well-illustrated book sheds useful new light on the Indus Age and
makes recent scholarly advances readily accessible to a broad
range of readers, especially students of the ancient world.
(Jeremy A. Sabloff, University of Pennsylvania Museum)
This volume offers the best description and analysis of the
nature of [Indus] civilization. Illustrated with an abundance of
line drawings, charts, and s, the volume richly illuminates
architecture, material culture, and arts and crafts....Offering
the best available presentation of the Indus civilization, this
volume successfully fulfills the needs of both general readers
and spets...Essential...[f]or all those interested in
ancient civilizations (C.C. Lamberg-Karlovsky, Harvard University
CHOICE, June 2003)
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About the Author
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GREGORY L. POSSEHL is a professor of Anthropology at
the University of Pennsylvania and Curator of the Asian
Collections at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of
Archaeology and Anthropology. He has been engaged in
archaeological research in Indian and Pakistan since 1964, from
Iron Age megaliths to Mesolithic encampments, including directing
excavations at Rojdi in Gujarat and Gilund in southern Rajasthan.
Possehl has written and edited a number of important books on the
Indus Civilization and related topics.
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