The Quaternary Period in South Asia has a very prolonged and diverse history. Within this region, India represents various technological and cultural phases of hominin occupation adapting to different ecological zones throughout the Quaternary Period. The earliest records of this occupation can be traced back to 1.5 Ma ago and possibly to c. 2 Ma ago. Archaeological evidence has been reported from all known phases in India, showing a continuous record of occupation from the Early Pleistocene onwards and reflecting adaptation by multiple hominin species over time. This book aims to highlight recent advances in the Quaternary geoarchaeology by showcasing diverse methods such as archaeology, geology, palaeoclimatology, sedimentology, GIS, remote sensing and taphonomy. It presents a collection of papers that address various geoarchaeological aspects from different regions in India, within the time frame of the Early Pleistocene to Anthropocene. This volume provides an opportunity for new data to be disseminated, particularly by young researchers and, within the framework of worldwide research issues, it promotes new geoarchaeological perspectives from India.

Forensic geology is the application of geology to aid the investigation of crime. A Guide to Forensic Geology was written by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), Initiative on Forensic Geology (IFG), which was established to promote and develop forensic geology around the world. This book presents the first practical guide for forensic geologists in search and geological trace evidence analysis. Guidance is provided on using geological methods during search operations. This developed following international case work experiences and research over the last 25 years for homicide graves, burials associated with serious and organised crime and counter terrorism. With expertise gained in over 300 serious crime investigations, the guidance also considers geological trace evidence, including the examination of crime scenes, geological evidence recovery and analysis from exhibits and the reporting of results. The book also considers the judicial system, reporting and requirements for presenting evidence in court. Included are emerging applications of geology to police and law enforcement: illegal and illicit mining, conflict minerals, substitution, adulteration, fraud and fakery.

Lithic Materials and Paleolithic Societies provides a detailed examination of the Paleolithic procurement and utilization of the most durable material in the worldwide archaeological record. The volume addresses sites ranging in age from some of the earliest hominin occupations in eastern and southern Africa to late Pleistocene and post-Pleistocene occupations in North American and Australia. The Early Paleolithic in India and the Near East, the Middle Paleolithic in Europe, and the Late Paleolithic in Europe and eastern Asia are also considered. The authors include established researchers who provide important synthetic statements updated with new information. Recent data are reported, often by younger scholars who are becoming respected members of the international research community. The authors represent research traditions from nine countries and therefore provide insight into the scholarly present as well as the Paleolithic past. Attempts are frequently made to relate lithic procurement and utilization to the organization of societies and even broader concerns of hominin behaviour. The volume re-evaluates existing interpretations in some instances by updating previous work of the authors and offers provocative new interpretations that at times call into question some basic assumptions of the Paleolithic. This book will be invaluable reading for advanced students and researchers in the fields of palaeolithic archaeology, geoarchaeology, and anthropology.

For more than a century, the study of hunting and gathering societies has been central to the development of both archaeology and anthropology as academic disciplines, and has also generated widespread public interest and debate. The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology and Anthropology of Hunter-Gatherers provides a comprehensive review of hunter-gatherer studies to date, including critical engagements with older debates, new theoretical perspectives, and renewed obligations for greater engagement between researchers and indigenous communities. Chapters provide in-depth archaeological, historical, and anthropological case-studies, and examine far-reaching questions about human social relations, attitudes to technology, ecology, and management of resources and the environment, as well as issues of diet, health, and gender relations - all central topics in hunter-gatherer research, but also themes that have great relevance for modern global society and its future challenges. The Handbook also provides a strategic vision for how the integration of new methods, approaches, and study regions can ensure that future research into the archaeology and anthropology of hunter-gatherers will continue to deliver penetrating insights into the factors that underlie all human diversity.

Early Human Behaviour in a Global Context will be of use to students and professionals who are interested in prehistory, Paleolithic archaeology, and paleoanthropology. Those interested in our ancestors and their place in the natural world will also benefit from the information presented in this book. Chapters focus on: * the nature of archaeological evidence * stone tool technology * subsistence practices * settlement distributions.

This is the first volume of its kind on prehistoric cultures of South Asia. The book brings together archaeologists, biological anthropologists, geneticists and linguists in order to provide a comprehensive account of the history and evolution of human populations residing in the subcontinent. New theories and methodologies presented provide new interpretations about the cultural history and evolution of populations in South Asia.

Ancient Pakistan - An Archaeological History deals with the prehistory of Pakistan from the Stone Age to the end of the Indus Civilization. This particular volume, The Stone Age, concerns with the first appearance of man in northern Pakistan more than a million years ago and traces his cultural history up to the emergence of agriculture and sedentary living in this region. The book is written for students of ancient history, anthropology, and archaeology. The material is generously illustrated with a large number of maps, tables, drawings, and colored photographs. Each Section is provided with extensive references to the text and a comprehensive bibliography is provided for those who want to dig deeper into the subject. Although the book primarily deals with the Greater Indus Valley, its scope is much wider: the subject has been discussed in context with the paleolithic of India, Central Asia, and Iran. The story of human evolution provides a constant background.

Contributed articles.

For the first two thirds of our evolutionary history, we hominins were restricted to Africa. Dating from about two million years ago, hominin fossils first appear in Eurasia. This volume addresses many of the issues surrounding this initial hominin intercontinental dispersal. Why did hominins first leave Africa in the early Pleistocene and not earlier? What do we know about the adaptations of the hominins that dispersed - their diet, locomotor abilities, cultural abilities? Was there a single dispersal event or several? Was the hominin dispersal part of a broader faunal expansion of African mammals northward? What route or routes did dispersing populations take?

This collection of articles captures and disseminates contemporary perspectives on climate change from an Indian context. Starting with an argument on a new climate deal which highlights the importance of policies and regulations within the climate change debate, some of India’s best-known geologists, meteorologists, climate scientists and archaeologists have put forward their concerns and convictions in this collection. The book covers articles on climate change scenarios, impacts, policies, regulations and protocols as well as geopolitical and geoeconomics implications of climate change over the Indian sub-continent including climatogenic vulnerability analyses of sea level rise (SLR) and crop production assessment. The geological perspectives of climate change over the Indian sub-continent are covered, along with highlighted climate impacts on the chemical weathering and maturity of sediments as well as on the manganese mineralisation in manganiferous quartzite in the Boringpadar-Amath area. The evolution of the monsoon, the most significant event of tropical belt is addressed through lake’s and river’s sediments, assessing the anthropogenic influences. Climatic conditions reconstructed through Quaternary alluvial sediments as proxy indicator of past climatic conditions over the Indian sub-continent are presented. There is also a separate chapter on the role of cosmic radio nuclide in paleoclimatic reconstructions. The inter-relation of climate change and tectonics over the Indian sub-continent is also covered, while the geopolitics on the conflicts of climate change have been discussed in the larger perspective of the South-Asian region.