Under the direction of Dr. J.M. Kenoyer, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin, Ms Seetha Reddy will collect data for her doctoral dissertation. She will conduct a range of analyses to explain a change in settlement pattern which took place during Harrapan times, between 2500 and 1700 B.C. Archaeological evidence indicates that over this interval a shift occurred and many settlements were established in arid areas in Northern India which had been avoided up to that point. Ms Reddy postulates that changes in agricultural practices allowed this to occur. She believes that farmers began to plant drought resistant millet crops as a supplement to the species already employed and that these millets were used not primarily for human consumption but rather as livestock fodder. To evaluate this hypothesis, she plans to collect three types of data. First, isotopic analysis will be conducted on animal bones from sites which span this period. Changes in carbon isotopes can be used to infer dietary changes. Secondly, Ms Reddy will conduct ethnographic research to look at livestock management practices in the region today. Finally, she will study botanical remains recovered from relevant archaeological sites to determine both species present and methods of processing. This research is important for several reasons. Archaeologists want to know how complex societies develop and decline. The Harrapan culture reached the level of a "civilization" before it disappeared and it is unclear what accounted for this phenomenon. Ms Reddy's work should provide insight. Secondly, the project will provide very useful data on human adaptation at a technologically simple level to semiarid environments. Harrapan peoples developed efficient ways to subsist in this situation and increased understanding of these may produce practical benefits. Finally ,this research will assist in the training of an extremely promising young scientist.
