This project provides support for a short field study by Dr. Frederick Asher in India. He will collect and analyze samples that will be used as the basis for a petrographic study of stone artifacts in eastern India, defined as Bihar and Bengal, including Bangladesh. The study seeks the identification of the sources of rocks used in the production of religious artifacts of various dates and provenance within eastern India. This area was drawn together under the Pala dynasty, between the 9th and 12th centuries, when most of the artifacts were made. The determination of the sources of stones can lead to identification of economic and cultural patterns. Scope: The project will be carried by Dr. Asher with support from the Archeology Department of India. The study can lead to establishing petrographic studies of artifacts as a viable method for establishing the sources of stones used in these artifacts, as well as to tracing patterns of trade and economic and cultural zones. The project fits the objectives of the U.S.-India Cooperative Science Program
