Under the direction of Dr. Rita Wright, MS Laura Miller will collect data for her doctoral dissertation. Her project has two goals. The first is methodological and it involves the development of techniques for archaeological faunal analysis. The second is substantive - MS Miller will examine animal husbandry practices at the site of Harappa, located in the Indus River Valley. Archaeological data from many Old World contexts suggests that the earliest primary product obtained from domestic animals was their flesh. Animals were raised and then slaughtered for this purpose. Shifts in patterns revealed by faunal remains suggest that at some later time changes in animal utilization occurred and prehistoric peoples focused more on secondary products such as milk which provided a long term sustained return from a single animal. Likewise the use of animals for traction, to pull plows, also had a positive and significant impact on agricultural production. These changes are inferred from the `kill profile` or demographic pattern revealed in skeletal materials. However such profiles can have multiple interpretations. In her research MS Miller is focusing on large bovids - cattle and water buffalo - from Harappa. Surprisingly little information is available on these two important species. She has already completed an ethnographic study which has documented modern animal use in the region and has collected modern controlled faunal samples. With NSF support she will conduct radiographic and cross sectional analysis of these remains to determine the effect which continued milking has the bone structure and density and the kinds of growth patterns and damage which results from the mechanical stresses caused by pulling a plow. The methodologies thus developed will be applied to archaeological materials from Harappa. Northern India and Pakistan saw the rise of a civilization which developed largely independently from that in the Near East and China and archaeologists have focused on this region to increase their understanding of the processes which lead to civilization. MS Miller will analyze bovid bone from different specialized activities area both within and immediately adjacent to the site. She hopes to trace both the primary and secondary roles which bovids played and to determine how these changed over time. It should be possible to determine the relative importance of bovid meat as well as dairy products and traction. By studying the spatial distribution of materials it is possible also to gain insight into economic and political organization. This research is important for several reasons. It will develop a set of methodological tools which can be applied in many regions of the world. It will shed new light on the rise of complex Indus river valley societies and assist in training a promising young scientist.
