Shereen Ratnagar

Do the many female figurines at Indus sites justify the belief that the worship of a "mother Goddess" was prevalent then? One of India's most distinguished archaeologists offers a contrary viewpoint in this deeply informed, multi-faceted analysis of these figurines. >

Shereen Ratnagar is one of the most important theoreticians of the Indus valley civilization and its archaeological practice. Book reviewer and author, Sudeshna Guha notes in her review of Early State Perspectives, "Through her earlier research, Ratnagar had shown that the political system of statehood possibly provided the Harappan Civilization its distinctive cultural form." >

A revised edition of Shereen Ratnagar's Encounters: The Westerly Trade of the Harappa Civilization. The book explores the scope of the trading contacts of the centres that fell within the "Indus Valley" civilizations. >

This fascinating book suggests alternatives to the 'environmental catastrophe' theories of Harappan civilizational collapse, with a discussion about the nature of the Harappan state and what its weaknesses might have been. The civilization is placed in a wider geographic setting to explore not just the internal factors but also those operating within the Bronze Age at large. >