The archaeology of coastal Bengal /
Rupendra Kumar Chattopadhyay.
- First edition.
- 1 online resource : illustrations (black and white).
- Oxford scholarship online .
- Oxford scholarship online. .
This edition previously issued in print: 2018.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Research work on coastal Bengal has mostly focused on maritime trading networks. In a clear departure from the existing scholarship, this volume questions the linearity of considering trade as the sole determinant of creation of settlement in the coastal regions. Focusing on settlement strategies, Chattopadhyay unravels how human societies, through successive generations, have adapted to the coastal environment and bioregime. First-hand data, procured through extensive fieldwork, forms the sound basis of this work. From structural remains, ceramic and bone implements, and stone tools, to terracotta figurines and inscriptions, a vast array of sources, including epigraphic and literary sources, is analysed. Significantly, the volume also highlights the interconnection between coastal geography and the hinterland.