Archaeobotany and Palaeoenvironment

Archaeobotany and palaeoenvironmental research in the IJA links pollen, macro-botanical remains, fauna, climate records, crop histories, and environmental reconstruction to human occupation across the Ganga plain, Indus borderlands, Kashmir, Odisha, Haryana, Manipur, and museum sculpture studies. These papers help explain settlement change, crop choices, animal use, vegetation shifts, and the ecological settings of cultural transitions.

Key Evidence Types

  • Pollen records - Karela Jheel, Ganga plain, coastal sediments, Himalayan archives, and pollen keys for plant subfamilies.
  • Macro-botanical remains - Millets, cereal grains, pulses, and crop assemblages from Indus, PGW, and multi-cultural sites.
  • Faunal remains - Sampolia Khera, Kanispur, Rukhaegarh, and rhinoceros history papers reconstruct animal economy and ecological distribution.
  • Iconographic ecology - Biodiversity and animal depiction studies read sculptures as environmental evidence as well as art historical material.

Key Findings

  1. Climate and culture are treated together: Palynological studies connect vegetation shifts to human occupation rather than treating palaeoenvironment as background.
  2. Millets matter to Indus peripheries: Anil Pokharia’s millet study frames crop diversification as central to the peripheral zones of the Indus world.
  3. Alamgirpur links Harappan and PGW subsistence: Grain and pulse evidence supports the site’s role as a key sequence from indus-valley-civilization into iron-age-india.
  4. Faunal studies broaden site interpretation: Animal bones from Masudpur, Kanispur, and Rukhaegarh show diet, domestication, ecology, and ritual contexts.
  5. Pollen identification is foundational infrastructure: Alka Srivastava’s pollen keys supply reference tools for future palaeobotanical analysis in Indian contexts.

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