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Title: A Peaceful Realm : The Rise And Fall of the Indus Civilization by Jane R. McIntosh ISBN: 0-8133-3532-9 Publisher: Westview Press Pub. Date: December, 2001 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $45.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.8 (5 reviews)
Rating: 1
Summary: An Archaeologist walks right into the linguistic trap
Comment: Archaeologist Jane McIntosh walks right into the linguistic trap.
1. She agrees that the Indus Civilization should now be seen as the
Indus-Saraswati Civilization (p. 24, 53). "But in Indus times, the
Saraswati was a mighty river (p. 53). She cites Griffith's (1890)
translations of the Rig Vedic hymns regarding the Saraswati River, as
quoted by Possehl (1999).
2. She approvingly cites Dales (1964) who has mocked at Wheeler's 37
skeletons as proof that an "Aryan Invasion" had occurred (p, 178. 179).
3. She draws upon Asko Parpola's work in connecting the Indus
artifacts to the Vedas. Regarding the trefoils on the robe worn by
the famous "Priest King" of the Indus, she says, " This robe was also
mentioned in the Vedas as being worn by kings during their
consecration. Parpola also argues that the trefoil could represent the
three-lobed hearth, used not only in the home but also in Vedic
sacrifices, and the Vulva or womb-the yoni symbol of the goddess Durga
and counterpart to the lingam, symbol of Shiva (p. 108)."
4. She acknowledges that the Indus people had knowledge of astronomy.
"Asko Parpola and a number of other scholars relate this (the
systematic arrangement of streets) to the astronomical knowledge of
the Indus people and to the unknown (!)religious beliefs that must lie
behind this (p. 99, parentheses added)."
5. She discusses Parpola's interpretation of a famous Indus seal
(color plate 10 in the book) as depicting goddess Durga, her husband
Shiva and the wives of the seven sages who are also the seven stars of
the Great bear (ref. 116-117).
6. She admits that the discovery of fire alters which were probably
used for Vedic sacrifices has been an embarrassment to the theory that
the Indus civilization was pre-Vedic.
After all this, one would expect her to reach the logical conclusion
that if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, then.. It IS a duck.
That is the Indus and the Vedic people are the same. But hold on a
minute! She bows down the linguistic fables and fails to reach that
rather obvious conclusion.
"Their (Vedic) literature shows that they moved gradually from the
north, on the Iranian plateau, into the Panjab and hence farther into
the subcontinent.. (p. 128, parenthesis added),"
"This (the linguistic) evidence seems to show that the speakers of the
Indo-Aryan (also known as plain "Aryan") languages, a branch of the
Indo-European language family that covered Europe, Iran and Northern
India by the late 1st millennium BC entered the region in the Indus
region during the second millennium BC .. (p. 128, first parenthesis
added)."
"The migrations of Indo-Aryan speakers can be traced in their early
literature the Vedas. The geographical information that they contain
shows that the Indo-Aryans (who it is thought came organically from
the area north of the Black and Caspian Seas) entered the northwest
during the 2nd millennium BC and thence moved eastward into the Ganges
Valley ... (p. 147)."
McIntosh does not mention what this geographical information is and
how it shows the so called movement from northwest to the east. As
archaeologist she obviously has not found any physical evidence for
such a movement . Even the strongest proponents of AIT/AMT now agree that the Rig Vedas does not provide any evidence of movement like that, and its geography can be firmly placed in the North west of the Indian subcontinent. The author contradicts herself within a space of few paragraphs; viz "Although the Indo-Aryan languages were introduced by invader...(p. 202)," and "One key aspect of the Indus society as I have reconstructed it, is its absence of violance or military activity (p. 203)."
One wonders, "what is so powerful about these highly speculative linguistic theories that grips even informed scholars to passively submit to them in favor of their scientifcally testable methods.
Rating: 4
Summary: A Peaceful Realm
Comment: The overused adjective "mysterious" certainly applies to the ancient Indus Valley civilization, because far less is known about these people than about other ancient civilizations such as Egypt and Mesopotamia. Much basic excavation work remains to be done, and the Indus Valley script remains undeciphered.
Author Jane McIntosh meets this challenge by combining the best of current scholarship with her own wide-ranging and thoughtful analysis, to produce an appropriately tentative, yet consistent and plausible, view of the Indus civilization. In the author's own words, "it was an exceptionally well integrated state, in harmony with its environment, where warfare was absent and everyone led a comfortable existence under the benevolent leadership of a dedicated priesthood." These conclusions are developed step-by-step throughout the book, with chapters on the rise and fall of the Indus civilization, farming, crafts, urbanization, religion, society, writing, trade, and contributions to the later civilization of India.
The writing throughout is clear, understandable, and objective. The author includes and evaluates an impressive variety of types of evidence, from archaeology to anthropology and linguistics, and approaches this controversial subject with a disciplined, yet open and undogmatic, mind.
In a field where so much remains to be done, it is always possible that future discoveries will radically change our view of the Indus civilization. "A Peaceful Realm" is an excellent synthesis of current knowledge about Indus studies, and can be recommended to anyone interested in the Indus in particular or ancient civilizations in general.
Rating: 5
Summary: A real contribution to the field
Comment: A ver concise and well-illustrated look at the ancient Indus Valley.
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Title: The Search of the Cradle of Civilization by Georg Feuerstein, Subhash Kak, David Frawley ISBN: 0835607410 Publisher: Quest Books Pub. Date: September, 2001 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization by Jonathan Mark Kenoyer ISBN: 0195779401 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: December, 1998 List Price(USD): $49.95 |
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Title: The Indus Civilization: A Contemporary Perspective by Gregory L. Possehl ISBN: 0759101728 Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield (Non NBN) Pub. Date: January, 2003 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300 by Romila Thapar ISBN: 0520238990 Publisher: University of California Press Pub. Date: 01 February, 2003 List Price(USD): $48.00 |
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Title: History Begins at Sumer: Thirty-Nine "Firsts" in Recorded History by Samuel Noah Kramer, Hiroshi Tanaka ISBN: 0812212762 Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press Pub. Date: December, 1989 List Price(USD): $20.95 |
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