MAHSA Project

CAA-UK 25 Conference Programme is now available! 📣

We have prepared an exciting schedule of workshops, talks, posters and more - explore here:

uk.caa-international.org/2025/11/20/c...

Join us online or in person for a talk from MAHSA’s Vaneshree Vidyarthi: ‘Mapping the Indian Palaeolithic’, part of the London Centre for the Ancient Near East’s Autumn seminar series.

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lcane-autu...

'The Natho Ram Smadh looks as though someone has pushed it off its platform, but it still stands, though leaning on its side like an old man.’ 6/7

We thank the survey team including Baber Hussein, Ishfaq Ahmed and M. Adil Hashmi for their tireless work in the field and valuable insights. 7/7

'But 'lo and behold', just visible above the spikes of wheat we could see a dome comprised of promisingly slim and weathered red brick common to 'historic' bricks in this region.' 5/7

'What we were following was an icon of a temple/shrine depicted on maps made 100 years earlier, before many of these fields had even been planned. Though we also had rough coordinates from a survey in the 70s (Mughal et al. 1996), there was still no promise that the temple/shrine still existed.' 4/7

'The wheat fields were in full bloom for as far as we could see. It's beautiful but not what we were looking for. 'Is there even anything left here?' said someone from the back of the car while I checked the location for the fifth time.' 3/7

'The whole fun of these surveys is that these sites, even if they are known, are like a surprise waiting around the corner or at the end of the road. The road, in this case, was a kacha dirt road, barely fit for the Toyota Corolla to travel on.' 2/7

In today’s #MappingMonday we take you into the field with MAHSA’s own Afifa Khan and the University of the Punjab as they survey Natho Ram Smadh, seen on the historical map. 1/7

Afifa Khan, Mou Sarmah, Vaneshree Vidyarthi, Rebecca Roberts, and Cameron Petrie discuss the complex relationship between cultural heritage and social media in South Asia. They demonstrate the opportunities and challenges that social media presents for heritage preservation.

Big news! 📢 MAHSA team members have just published their research on South Asian social media and heritage in the collection, Reporting Heritage Destruction.

doi.org/10.32028/978...

Register for the CAA-UK Conference 2025! 📢

Join us in December for conversations in Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology.

Find out more and register to attend here:
www.eventbrite.com/e/caa-uk-202...

The map is also decorated with lively imagery of gods, cherubs, and a trade caravel. These engravings might reveal something about Europe’s priorities during the age of sail and global trade. The cherubs rifling through jewels, precious metals and ivory are telling. (4/4)

For instance, Lake Chiamay in the northeast appears on maps from the 16th to 18th century, but never actually existed. (3/4)

It features the land, settlements, rivers, and trade routes of the subcontinent and parts of Central Asia. But I wouldn’t rely on it to get you to your destination. Cartographic errors have rendered India rather skinny, and you might find some locations tricky to find. (2/4)

This week’s #MappingMonday takes us to the era before the Survey of India, when cartography was a confluence of reality and fantasy. This colourful map of the Mughal Empire was published c.1740 by renowned German cartographer Matthäus Seutter. (1/4)

Research resulting from the collaborative TwoRains project demonstrated that most animals remained local, but there are some examples of cattle and pigs being moved very long distances. The nature of the exchange system that was in operation is still debated. (5/5)

Known across the Islamic world and Silk Road, the caravanserai model could help us understand the archaeology and mechanisms of ancient mobility and exchange. Rural pit stops in the Harappan world would indicate a level of economic administration and management, but this is one hypothesis. (4/5)

Geographically, the site is found at a river confluence, providing a reliable source of water and natural junction in the landscape. Its location between coastal Gujarat and the Indus heartland would make Kotada Bhadli an ideal rural stopover. (3/5)

The site of Kotada Bhadli (~2000 BCE) is small, fortified, and at a peripheral location. The excavators have argued that the presence of imported trade goods but absence of on-site production indicates the consumption and transit you’d expect to find at a place for rest and resupply. (2/5)

Did the Indus Civilisation use caravanserai-like settlements to support its network of exchange and interaction across long distances? The excavators of the site of Kotada Bhadli, Gujarat, India, suggest so. Caravanserais are sites that facilitate trade and transportation over long distances. (1/5)

The village is known for its temples within the walls, which are counted among the Abhimana Kshethram, which hold particular significance for the Vaishnavite tradition – centred around the god Vishnu. You can also find one of Hinduism’s sacred lakes, collectively known as the Panch Sarovar.

Today’s belated #MappingMonday takes us to the village of Narayan Sarovar in Gujarat, India. Fortifications like those found in this village stand out on the historic maps as locations of cultural and strategic significance. They are handy sites for cross-referencing with modern satellite imagery.

A very Happy Diwali from the MAHSA Team! Wishing you prosperity, happiness, health - and georeferenced historic maps 🤩

#diwali #southasia #heritage #India #Pakistan #history #festivaloflights

Now these lamps are certainly not telling us that the Bronze Age Harappans were celebrating any festival we recognise today. But they reveal the long history of clay lamps which have often been used for ritualistic purposes, seen today in the diyas of Diwali. (5/5)

This example features cups on either side of the headdress where soot or black pigment was found – so it may have been used as a special sort of lamp. (4/5)

Our second image is one of Harappa’s many clay figurines. It’s tricky to parse the purpose or social significance of these artefacts, and their value (symbolic and economic) may have been derived as much from their skilled manufacturing process as the finished product. (3/5)

In our first image we have a clay oil lamp (right) and a possible incense burner (left) found in Mounds A-B & F at Harappa, Pakistan. These examples are probably later than the Harappan Phase (c.2600-1900 BCE) but attest to Bronze Age lighting practices for domestic and ritual purposes. (2/5)

With Diwali around the corner, today’s #HeritageHighlights shines a light on the earthenware lamps of the Indus Valley. Lamps contribute to the vast corpus of terracotta artefacts excavated across the Indus Valley, creating (cautious) connections with modern day material culture. (1/5)

Engaging in meaningful, international collaboration is central to our mission at MAHSA, and we were grateful to make connections in Islamabad. Thanks to the National Heritage and Culture Division, Government of Pakistan, in collaboration with the Pakistan National Commission for UNESCO. (3/3)

The workshop convened to discuss Pakistan’s ratification of the convention, and MAHSA’s Dr Rebecca Roberts & Afifa Khan had the opportunity to share our work in the digital heritage space with federal, provincial, and academic stakeholders. (2/3)