07 - Do Vessel Forms Entail Functions? Understanding Vessel Functions through Residues in Harappan Cultural Settlements

Presenters

Ahana Ghosh, Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, V.N. Prabhakar, Archaeological Sciences Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar; and Eleanora A. Reber, University of North Carolina

Abstract

This research probes the relationship between vessel forms and functions through absorbed residues adhered within the matrix from the excavated Harappan settlements of Karanpura and Ropar, located in western and northwestern India. The primary approach toward the study of the correspondence between vessel shapes and their exact utility in Harappan culture had centered around typological, manufacturing, and ethnographic perspectives until recently when a few scientific studies have been undertaken to examine the dietary and cultural use of ceramics.

Because functional groups are one of the significant parameters in sampling for residue analysis, this research combines the preliminary results of residue analysis administered on vessels from different functional groups from the Harappan habitational settlements mentioned above. Hence, preliminary studies using compound-specific isotope analysis were executed on distinct functional groups comprising incised ware and perforated jars to understand their specialized utility within these settlements. Theoretically, this research is grounded within the nuances of “practicality” and “prestige” wherein the former explores how a vessel remains adhered to its original function, and the latter investigates how the vessel form and its concerned function get positioned within the social hierarchy. The implication of scientific tools for evaluating the association between product(s) and the vessel it was processed in is still in a primitive stage in South Asian archaeology. Therefore, conventional ceramic studies should be evaluated and elevated to include human actions concerning the adaptive functioning of an ancient vessel.