Peaceful Harappans? Reviewing the evidence for the absence of warfare in the Indus Civilisation of north-west India and Pakistan (c. 2500-1900 BC).(Debate)

From: Antiquity | Date: June 1, 2005| Author: Cork, Edward | Copyright information

Introduction

The mature phase of the Harappan Civilisation, centred on the River Indus (Figure 1), has been characterised as having rigid urban planning, standardised systems of seals and weights, striking cultural uniformity over a vast area, and an absence of temples, palaces, elite burials and warfare in comparison to Egypt and Mesopotamia (see especially Piggott 1962; Wheeler 1968). Such generalising characterisations are increasingly being challenged, providing a pi...

Read all of this article with a FREE trial to HighBeam Research

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles from HighBeam Research

Why warfare? Lessons from the past.
Daedalus ; If we ever hope to end warfare we must first understand why it occurs. Because this is trivially obvious, it is surprising how poorly studied warfare is. Considerable work has been done on the details of particular wars and the events leading up to them, but little has been done to find the
World History of Warfare.(Book Review)
Air Power History ; World History of Warfare. By I. Archer, John R. Ferris, Holger H. Herwig, and Timothy H. E. Travers. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2002. Index. Pp. xii, 626. $29.95 ISBN: 0-8032-4423-1 Archer and his colleagues have written an outstanding reading text on the history of warfare from its
Elizabeth N. Arkush & Mark W. Allen (ed.). The Archaeology of Warfare: Prehistories of Raiding and Conquest.(Book review)
Antiquity ; ELIZABETH N. ARKUSH & MARK W. ALLEN (ed The Archaeology of Warfare: Prehistories of Raiding and Conquest. xiv+550 pages, 89 illustrations, 15 tables. 2006. Gainesville (FL): University Press of Florida; 0-8130-2930-9 hardback $65. Hardly a month seems to go by at present without a new book on
BOOKREVIEWS: Has war become more barbaric? The Barbarisation of Warfare, editor - George Kassimeris, Hurst and Company.(Features)
The Birmingham Post (England) ; Byline: Reviewed by Alun Thorne The nature of warfare has undoubtedly changed over the centuries. The idea of pitched battles between two opposing armies slugging it out in an attritional bloodbath is as redundant as the weapons they once used. Instead, conflicts are now played out in a series of
The Dardanelles campaign: A historical analogy for littoral mine warfare
Naval War College Review ; EFFECTIVENESS IN FIVE WARFARE ELEMENTS is necessary for the United States Navy to achieve the maritime dominance discussed in the strategic vision of littoral warfare, "Forward . . . from the Sea": surface warfare, undersea warfare, amphibious warfare, combat logistics, and mine warfare. 1 The
Mine warfare focus of biannual conference: U.S. Navy keeps eyes on future.
News Herald (Panama City, FL) ; ... opportunities available in the field. This is the sixth time MINWARA has held its meeting in Bay County. Copyright (c) 2007, The News Herald, Panama City, Fla. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup ...
If crime is Warfare; Give me the real thing
Call and Post (Cincinnati) ; John B. Williams Call and Post (Cincinnati) 04-28-1994 If crime is Warfare; Give me the real thing. By JOHN B. WILLIAMS Call and Post Contributing Writer From city hall to the state house to the White House: the declaration has gone out The nation is at war with crime!" In truth, the problem of
Blitzkrieg to Desert Storm: The Evolution of Operational Warfare
Air & Space Power Journal ; ... pundits and analysts who populate the 24-hour news cycle. Observers of the current wars in ... of reporting on every minuscule event. News alerts purporting to inform and educate are posted virtually every hour on the all-news networks. Such notices are based on the ...
History and Warfare in Renaissance Epic
Comparative Literature ; ... Renaissance epic "lack the necessary background" to deal with the poets' treatment of warfare: "They may not know how to read maps or assess fortifications, armor, and weapons" (p. 9). I am sure I would understand Os Lusiadas or Tirant lo Blanc better if I ...
Seeds of warfare precede agriculture. (war among hunter-gatherers)
Science News ; Stone Age hunter-gatherers are often billed as the peaceful precursors of agricultural peoples who cultivated frequent warfare along with their crops beginning around 5,000 years ago. But cave paintings in northern Australia, some dating to 10,000 years ago or more, bluntly blast that assumption.