Jharkhand was an important trade route in ancient times, a scholar from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the US, and a delegate to the three-day international archaeology conference that concluded in Ranchi on Sunday, has said.
Monica L. Smith, anthropology professor at UCLA, said she was thrilled to be a part of the conference, jointly organised by the state art and culture department, Heritage Jharkhand, Indian Archaeological Society, Indian Society for Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies and Indian History and Culture Society, as Jharkhand was a treasure trove of archaeological sites.
"All ancient trade routes from the Gangetic plains and Chhattisgarh en route to Odisha passed through Jharkhand. Herein lies the importance of Jharkhand," Smith said. "Research on ancient trade routes that once passed through the state would throw important light on the economic activities and the way people lived in ancient times."
"Jharkhand is a treasure trove of ancient archaeological sites, many dating back to the Stone Age," she said, ruing that the state was lesser known to the outside world. "This is my first visit to Jharkhand. I would love to come back and be a part of future archaeological expeditions."
Sean Taylor, postdoctoral researcher at Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge, UK, stressed the three-day meet opened up a new world.
Taylor, whose Sidney Sussex College was founded in the UK in 1596, said this was his first visit to Ranchi and Jharkhand.
"Though I have been a part of geo-archaeological studies in England, Sudan, Oman, Tanzania, Turkey, Italy, Greece, Malta, China, Spain and even India, to the primitive caves in Nagaland close to the Myanmar border, I didn't have the opportunity to come to Jharkhand before. In the academic deliberations of three days, I learnt a lot about Jharkhand and would love to undertake geo-archaeological studies here though I would need local collaborators."
More than 140 archaeologists from all over the country and abroad presented some 100 papers at the conference.
In the valedictory session, B.R. Mani, director-general, National Museum, Delhi, stressed on introducing studies in archaeology and ancient history in all the five state-run universities of the state and protecting, preserving and conserving archaeological artefacts and historical monuments in Jharkhand.
Speaking informally, scholars said their bond with India runs deep. Smith will fly now to Pune before leaving for the US. "I had teamed up with R.K. Mohanty, professor of ancient history in Deccan College, Pune, for detailed excavation at Sisupalgarh, some 5km from Bhubaneswar, from 2002 to 2008. Sisupalgarh was once a fort and a thriving city between the 3rd century BC and 4th century AD," she revealed.
Taylor will also leave Ranchi for a brief Calcutta stopover in the hometown of his research associate Sayantani Neogi, who also came to the meet, before leaving for the UK.
