Research
Archaeological Projects
1. Korlai Archaeological Project (2019-present)
[Supported by Shiv Nadar University, under the guidance of Dr. Hemanth Kadambi, Department of History]
Project involves an investigation of place-making practices of inhabitants of the Portuguese fort of Korlai, which was constructed in 1594 in Maharashtra, India. Investigation will be undertaken through an analysis of related historical documents and a systematic surface survey of material remains of the fort and adjoining creole village.
To read the complete proposal, please see- history.snu.edu.in/research/projects/place-making-korlai-archaeological-study
Area(s) of interest: material culture, place-making, architecture, colonialism.
[Supported by Shiv Nadar University, under the guidance of Dr. Hemanth Kadambi, Department of History]
Project involves an investigation of place-making practices of inhabitants of the Portuguese fort of Korlai, which was constructed in 1594 in Maharashtra, India. Investigation will be undertaken through an analysis of related historical documents and a systematic surface survey of material remains of the fort and adjoining creole village.
To read the complete proposal, please see- history.snu.edu.in/research/projects/place-making-korlai-archaeological-study
Area(s) of interest: material culture, place-making, architecture, colonialism.
2. Adamgarh Hill: Rock Art Enhancement and Site Analysis (2018-present)
[Enhancement supported by Ancient History Encyclopedia (AHE) and DStretch (Jon Harman); site analysis to be done under the guidance of Dr. Jaya Menon, Department of History, Shiv Nadar University]
Enhancement: This part of the project attempts to enhance paintings in the Adamgarh rock shelters using DStretch's decorrrelation-stretched color composite variants to analyse: (1) morphological attributes of individual paintings, (2) pigment variability, and (3) superimposition of paintings over time.
Site Analysis: Not started yet, but would aim to look at the rock shelters as an important landscape, use GIS modelling to investigate questions of subsistence and resource catchment, and also analyse stone tools and debitage to study production technologies.
Area(s) of interest: microliths, digital enhancement techniques, landscape studies, South Asian mesolithic.
[Enhancement supported by Ancient History Encyclopedia (AHE) and DStretch (Jon Harman); site analysis to be done under the guidance of Dr. Jaya Menon, Department of History, Shiv Nadar University]
Enhancement: This part of the project attempts to enhance paintings in the Adamgarh rock shelters using DStretch's decorrrelation-stretched color composite variants to analyse: (1) morphological attributes of individual paintings, (2) pigment variability, and (3) superimposition of paintings over time.
Site Analysis: Not started yet, but would aim to look at the rock shelters as an important landscape, use GIS modelling to investigate questions of subsistence and resource catchment, and also analyse stone tools and debitage to study production technologies.
Area(s) of interest: microliths, digital enhancement techniques, landscape studies, South Asian mesolithic.
3. Indor Khera: Analysis of mollusk assemblage to investigate post-depositional processes and reconstruct past environments (2019-present)
[All archaeological material was excavated in the Indor Khera Archaeological Project (IKAP) directed by Dr. Jaya Menon (now at Shiv Nadar University) and Dr. Supriya Varma (Jawaharlal Nehru University)]
Area(s) of interest: mollusks, archaeomalacology, environmental reconstructions, quantification, database production
[All archaeological material was excavated in the Indor Khera Archaeological Project (IKAP) directed by Dr. Jaya Menon (now at Shiv Nadar University) and Dr. Supriya Varma (Jawaharlal Nehru University)]
Area(s) of interest: mollusks, archaeomalacology, environmental reconstructions, quantification, database production
Molluscan Studies
1. Observing the correspondence of rainfall patterns on Macrochlamys indica, Glessula sp. and Subulina octona mating behavior and health of resulting offspring (2016-18)
[Supported by GreenTumble, WWF India, and Project Noah]
[Supported by GreenTumble, WWF India, and Project Noah]
2. Identification and interpretation of man-mollusk contact in the upper Western Ghats and adjacent parts of the Arabian Sea coast in Maharashtra and Goa (2017-present)
[Supported by the Bombay Natural History Society and WWF India]
[Supported by the Bombay Natural History Society and WWF India]