5:30pm-6:45pm on Thursday 21 March
Ancient India and Iran Trust, 23 Brooklands Avenue, CB2 8BG
Pakistan and western India are extremely rich in archaeological and cultural heritage sites, which span in date from the earliest villages, through several phases of urbanism, the rise and fall of numerous historical states and empires, and up to the colonial and modern periods. Today, many areas are densely occupied and undergoing rapid development, and while archaeological and cultural heritage sites and monuments in Pakistan and India are protected in principle, in practice they are often viewed as impediments and obstacles. Many sites are at risk from factors such as looting and erosion, but perhaps most significantly, the expansion of extensive irrigation agriculture and the concomitant levelling of large tracts of land, and large-scale urban development are proving to be particularly devastating.
This talk will introduce the Mapping Archaeological Heritage in South Asia (MAHSA) project, which is documenting the endangered archaeology and cultural heritage of the Indus River Basin and the surrounding areas. Our collaborative approach combines the analysis of legacy site documentation with digitised and georeferenced versions of historic Survey of India maps and remote-sensing satellite imagery, and machine learning to document archaeological and heritage sites and train the next generation of archaeologists to help ensure that we end up with a sustainable heritage resource for future generations.
Cameron Petrie is Professor in South Asian and Iranian Archaeology, and a Trustee of the Ancient India and Iran Trust.